Season 9-1 - Mr Monk Takes the Next Step
by MonkNotJunk
Summary: This story is set a few years after "The End." Mr. Monk finds new purpose in life and truly finds joy. Features Monk/Natalie friendship/ love/ romance/ danger. Disclaimer: I do not own Monk or any of the characters on the TV show. This is merely my imagination completing a story of what might have been. Copyrights belong to their owners.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This story was the first in my Monk Not Junk Series of Stories. I know there are formatting issues and the like that I will clean up at some date. At the time, I just launched into writing to satisfy the itch of ending the series the way that I wished it would end (with Adrian and Natalie together). What grew out of that effort was more than I ever expected. I've loved writing each of these stories and now even co-writing other stories. At this point in time, I would have started this story out a little differently than I did, but I tried to stay true to where I thought the writers were pulling these characters and writing from that perspective. Since then, I've evaluated the end a number of different ways and have come up with (by myself and with my collaborative partners KittyKat06 (Christina) and Alex Hoodle) a few other universes. I hope you enjoy these derivative offerings based on the TV series Monk. I do not own the original Monk characters and these works are not for profit. They are just one fan's vision of where things could go. - Janine

* * *

The cool Spring rain tapped against the window of Natalie Albright's room as she sat in her chair facing the courtyard. Staring blankly into space, her emotionless face betrayed no hint of what was going on inside her mind nor could it express to the world the pain-saturated heart that pulsated within her, every day of her life. Unable to communicate. She sat still and silent and staring - a shadow of her former self.

It had been 4 months since she received the knock on her door. "Mrs. Natalie Albright?" said a young man in a U.S. Navy dress uniform.

"Yes?" said Natalie with a smile which faded as the blood drained from her face upon seeing the paper in the young man's hand. She had seen that kind of paper before,years ago,when a similarly dressed man came to tell her that her husband Mitch had been shot down and was presumed dead.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry to inform you..." the young man began; but, before he could finish, she crumpled to the ground screaming "NO! NO! NO! STEVEN! NO! Ohhhhhhhh, please, nooooooo!

Startled, her daughter Julie, who had been visiting her mother on Spring Break, ran in to the room to see Natalie convulsing with sobs and rocking herself on the floor.

"Mom! What is it? What has happened?" she said .

"Whyyyyyy? Whyyyy? Ohhhh., Whyyyyyyyy?" Natalie sobbed.

Julie looked up at the young man who now looked helpless. "What is it? What did you say to her?"

"I, I, I didn't get a chance to... Ma'am. I am so sorry." He handed Julie a piece of paper which stated "The Department of the Navy is sorry to inform you that Lieutenant Steven Albright was killed in action when his submarine was struck off the shores of Bahrain early Tuesday afternoon."

Julie dropped the piece of paper and began crying, "Oh, Mom..." She held her mother closely. "Mom. Steven. Oh, I'm so sorry!" She cried.

"Whyyyyy? Why does this keep happening? Why?" Natalie cried. "I can't...I can't go through this again." she said breathlessly. "I just can't...I, just..." She stopped talking altogether and just wept, and wept, until suddenly she stopped.

"Mom, are you okay? Mom?!" a startled Julie said. "Mom?"

Natalie's weeping had stopped so suddenly that Julie feared the she had stopped breathing. But ,she was breathing. Her eyes were opened and she was staring straight ahead, slightly whimpering but unresponsive.

"Mom, are you okay? Mom? Talk to me. Mom?...Oh no. Mom, stay right here. I'm going to call a doctor." Julie sat Natalie against the wall and ran for her cell phone. Twenty minutes later the base doctor came by and examined Natalie. They moved her to the living room couch and he tried to get some reaction out of her, but there was nothing. He stood up and walked towards Julie with a concerned look on his face.

"Doctor, is my mother going to be okay?" Julie asked?

"Only Time will tell. She's in bad shape, Julie. This shock appears to have been too much for her. Her constitution seems to be shattered. She doesn't even seem to recognize where she is or that we are even here - a complete mental break. I have given her a sedative to try to help her sleep tonight. Let's hope when she wakes up, she is more lucid. But, we must be prepared to find out that we are dealing with a deeper form of traumatic psychosis from which she may never recover."

"Oh no!" Julie exclaimed.

"All I can say is, Pray for her. Miss Teeger. Pray." The doctor stood up and Julie walked him to the door. When she returned, she went over and held her mother's hand.

"Mom, I'm here. I'm not leaving you."

She sat silently watching her sleep as she thought about the short-lived happiness that her mom had experienced with Steven.

They had only been married for 3 years - a happy 3 years. Leaving San Francisco and moving to Norfolk, VA had been hard. She had to leave the life she had built there, and especially had to leave the quirky man who had become her very best friend and was very much a father figure to Julie growing up, Adrian Monk. But such was the life of a navy wife, and now with his late wife Trudy's daughter Molly in his life, and the closure that he had obtained concerning Trudy's murder, Mr. Monk seemed much less bothered by the demons that had tormented him for so many years. Oh, he was still Adrian and still had many of the phobias, obsessive rituals and paranoid thoughts. But he functioned much better, was more relaxed and was doing well.

Both Adrian and Natalie had wept when they had to say goodbye; and, they knew it was the right thing for them to do and swore to each other it would not be for always. Adrian even joked that he was now expert at goodbyes, but Natalie discerned that down deep Adrian was terrified and full of self-doubt. Still, he insisted that she go and gave his blessing for her marriage to Steven. It was among the hardest things he ever had to do. His love and respect for Natalie was greater than his fear of living without her as his assistant. He wanted her happy. And so, he let her go.

* * *

"Oh, come on Adrian!" Molly said to her step-father "I'm just going to L.A. It's not that far, and I'll be back every other weekend."

"I know, Molly. I know. It's just, there are people from Los Angeles in L.A." He looked at her as if that was some good argument and made sense. "Don't you want to go to Stanford for your graduate studies? It's so much closer."

"Adrian! ... Dad... I will be back!" Molly smiled, touching his arm.

"Oh, I know how it goes. I know how it goes. You say that now, but then some strange gangly good looking boy will come along and swoop you off of your feet and then you'll get married and I'll lose you forever." Monk responded.

"Haha, no way. You can't get rid of me that easy! It took almost two decades for you to find me. I'm not going to leave you now. Hey, just think of it like this. If Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome does show up, you're not losing a daughter but you're gaining a son and maybe even….grandkids!""

Adrian shuttered at the thought of coughing, sneezing, slobbering little kids crawling all over him, but also warmed inside. Grandkids. He smiled and shrugged his shoulder nervously. He had never thought of that. "How about that, Trudy?" he pondered. "Grandpa and Grandma Monk! Sounds like a sitcom!" he said looking at the ceiling as Molly reached out and gave him a tender hug.

Suddenly a horn beeped outside.

"That's my ride! I love you!" she said as she kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you too." said Adrian with a sad smile on his face and tears running down his cheeks. As he followed her down the sidewalk to her ride, he stated, "Call me and let me know you made it safe. Oh, and don't talk to any strange people on the way..."

Molly put her bags in the trunk and then went to the passenger side of a car driven by one of her friends. "Strange people in California?! Impossible!"

She smiled and blew him a kiss as the car drove away. She had truly been a godsend in his life and he had progressed so much in the time he knew her. What would he do without her? Life had many sad turns and twists, but he wouldn't trade what he had for the world. With growing confidence, he knew, Adrian Monk would be okay.

"Mrs. Albright. You have a visitor." the nurse said to Natalie, turning her chair from the window after she and Julie walked into Natalie's private room at the mental health facility. "Miss Teeger, Mrs. Albright has been uncooperative today. See if you can get her to eat a little of the lunch that they brought in for her earlier this afternoon. I will be back a little later."

"Thank you nurse." Julie stated as the nurse left the room. "Good afternoon Mom! How are you doing today? The nurse said that you aren't eating. We will have to fix that." She fluffed a pillow behind Natalie's back. "You look mighty pretty today. The rain has stopped now. Let me open the window a bit so you can get some fresh air."

Julie walked over to the window and raised the blinds a little higher so she could unlock the window. Opening it, she turned to see Natalie still staring straight ahead but with a tear rolling down her drawn face.

"Oh mom. What's the matter? Are you okay?" Julie hugged her. "It'll be alright."

Julie moved forward and kissed her Mom on the forehead, brushing her bangs back slightly. When she did this, she noticed a bruise on the side of her head.

"Mom! What happened? Did you fall and hurt yourself? "

She leaned back and saw more bruises along her collarbone, and then bruises in the shape of a hand on her upper arm.

"Nurse! Nurse!" Julie jumped up and ran to the hallway.

The nurse stood up from her station and said "did you need something?"

"What has happened to my mother?!" Julie responded.

"What do you mean?" said the nurse.

"Come in here right now and look a her. " She said raising Natalie's bangs exposing the fresh bruise. "What is the meaning of this?"

"She must have fallen. Happens a lot" the nurse responded.

"Fallen my foot! Look here, bruising here, and here, and right here on her arm in the shape of a hand. Who has done this to her? Is this the kind of care she can expect in this facility?"

"Miss Teeger, I assure you that we have the finest of care money can buy."

"This isn't about what money can buy! This is about someone hurting my mother! You are supposed to look after her and I come in to this! Look! There is even bruising on her hand, and…wait! Where is it?"

"Where is what?" asked the nurse.

"Mom's ring! Where is my mother's wedding ring? Tell me! Who has been in here with my mother?"

"Well, ma'am, I…."

"Oh, forget it! I'm reporting this! I've never seen such incompetence in all my life! She's not staying here! I am going to bring her back home so she can be closer and get her some real care. And you'd better find out where my mother's ring is or I will make sure that the law comes down hard on this farce of a facility!"

Julie turned to Natalie. "Mom, I have to go now. I'm going to go make some calls to your doctors and arrange for you to fly back with me tonight. I won't let them hurt you anymore. I promise. You'll have the best of care, even if I have to quit school and do it myself. We are going home."

It was 4 AM and Adrian's dreams were permeated with the sweet smell of his late wife Trudy's perfume in his bedroom. A low glowing light was coming from the edge of the bed. As he slept, a broad smile came on his face and he said out loud "Trudy, darling! You came back!"

"Why of course, Adrian. I told you I would be here if you needed me." Trudy said to him in the dream.

"But you were gone so long, Trudy. I thought I had lost you forever. Everyone's been abandoning me. First, Natalie went away and now Molly has gone as well. I, I don't begrudge them, because I want them to be happy. But... I called out to you for several times and you didn't come."

"I heard you, Adrian, but I had to stay away."

"Stay away? I don't understand."

"Adrian, If I did not stay away, you could not see how much you've grown. You would not know that you could make it on your own. Here you are, making it alone. No assistants or dead wife to prop you up. You've come back to the land of the living."

"This is living?" Adrian scowled. "I'm lonely, Trudy. Yeah, yeah. My fears aren't ruling my life like the once did and having our Molly in my life has absolutely transformed everything. But now she's gone to L.A. and I'm here alone. Trudy, I need you."

"Adrian, you don't need me."

"But…"

"No buts. Adrian, I was so worried about you. For so many years, you wrapped yourself up in work and clung to this sad dark existence that I never wanted for you. Part of you died when I did. I was afraid that you would never come back. But you've done so well. I am proud so of you! Yes, you needed me to help you through some of these dark times. But you don't' need me now. Instead, you're strong enough now to walk forward and take the next step into your future, and I cannot go with you into it. "

"What? Trudy, what do you mean?! You can't abandon me too!" Adrian cried out.

"Oh, Adrian, I'm not abandoning you. I'm freeing you. I'm always going to be here. It will just be different. Instead of talking to you in some dream or vision, my love will linger always in your heart and in the love you share with Molly. That will never go away. But it's time for you to let me go. Death parted us, and while many have said through the years that you should just move on, I knew you could not do what they wanted until you made peace with my death and began to live again. That's why I stayed- to help you. But look at you today! You are not the man you were when I married you, or 15 years ago, or even 5 years ago. You've grown. You're more generous and more kind and stronger and braver than you or I ever realized you could be. I have watched with joy as the smile has returned to your face. But now I need for you to do something."

"Anything, Trudy."

"I need for you to let me go and truly move on and be happy. I need you to take that next step."

"The next step? What is that?"

"When you could not cope with what was happening in your life, God sent two angels your way. First, he sent you Sharona, who loved you and cared for you in one way; and then, He sent you Natalie who cared for you in a different way. Two very different people, but they were what you needed at the time. Now, it is time for the man who was helped so much through the darkest time in his life to come out of his shell and pull someone else out of the abyss."

She continued. "Adrian, your very best friend in this world is hurting. She's broken. And you're probably the only one who can fully break through to her and help her. You don't' need me any more Adrian, but she needs you. Go. Go to Natalie. Go and help her. I will never stop loving you, but your happiness is what I need to truly rest in peace, and I know that you will never be happy stuck in the past. You need love and purpose and joy. I promise you, it will come if you will just open up your heart and take that next step. And know this. I will never be far away but will be watching from the wings cheering you on.

My time with you truly is at an end now and your life should be about the living, not about the dead. I love you for always and I know how dearly you loved me. I am forever grateful for the time God gave us. But now, I must let you go and you must reach for what He has called you to do. Goodbye my love. "

"Trudy! I love you! Don't go!"he cried.

Then suddenly, she was gone.

Adrian opened his eyes and instead of feeling angst or fear, he felt a feeling unlike any he had experienced in the past 15 years. It was a feeling of peace. Adrian Monk was at peace and a dark chapter had closed in his life. He would never lose his love for Trudy nor would she lose hers for him. But he knew it was time to move forward. He was no longer the needy. He was needed. So much of his journey had been so difficult and filled with uncertainty, but now knowing what he had to do was easy. There was no struggle, no hesitancy. He had to go. He had to go to find Natalie. She needed him. Trudy said she was in trouble and Natalie was far too vivacious and beautiful and loving to lock herself up in the prison of despair for years as Monk had done to himself after Trudy was murdered. Life was about to change, and for once, the change felt right.


	2. Chapter 2

By 7:00 PM, Julie Teeger had arranged to transport her mother from Norfolk, VA to San Francisco General in order to be examined for further injury and to be seen by Dr. Bell the next afternoon. In the months since her step-father's death, Julie had shown great maturity for her age, navigating through the legal maze of his estate and working to ensure her mother had the greatest of care – and all of this being done while travelling between two cities on opposite coasts. Her grades had suffered only slightly, but now, her mother would be closer to her and in the hands of a doctor in whom she had the utmost confidence. She arrived back at the hospital around 7:30 PM and began packing Natalie's belongings so that they could catch their 10:00 PM Flight to San Francisco.

"Miss Teeger, Miss Teeger…we found it!" The nurse from the previous shift said breathlessly, holding up a small object as she entered the room.

"What? What did you find? Julie asked coldly.

"The ring, your mother's ring. It, it must have fallen off. We found it in the restroom underneath the shower curtain…"

Julie took the ring and continued packing. "Likely story. But thanks. Saves me from filing a police report." she said.

"Don't you think you should wait until tomorrow for the doctor to see her?" the nurse asked.

"She is going to be seen by a doctor. Her doctor in San Francisco." Julie lifted the suitcase onto the bed. "And, now, if you will excuse me…my mother and I have a flight to catch. Good day."

"Flight 450 from Norfolk International now arriving at Gate 90" announced the voice on the terminal loudspeaker. As the doors from the flight opened, Natalie was the first one let off of the plane. Julie was able to get her to eat a little on the flight and she didn't look quite as pale as before. In fact, she seemed more at rest being back in San Francisco. She had loved it here. Perhaps it would be good for her.

Two nurses met Julie and her mother at the gate and helped Natalie get into a wheel chair while Julie handled her carry on. Her luggage would be shipped to her since there were no living arrangements for Natalie at this present moment. Depending upon what Dr. Bell said, Julie was preparing for Natalie to be moved to another hospital or, she hoped, to some form of assisted living. She would have to wait and see.

Once the nurses loaded Natalie into the hospital van, Julie sat down next to her and put her arm around her and whispered. "We're home, mama. We're home. All will be well."

By 9:30 AM, Natalie was settled into a private room at San Francisco General and was eating a meal of oatmeal and toast with jelly. Surprisingly, while she was largely non-responsive to interacting with human beings, she was still able to function at a rudimentary level. She ate. She could walk. And she could even be led to the shower and seemed to know what to do. While she needed someone to prepare her meals and lay out her clothes for her, she was largely a low maintenance patient.

At 1:00 PM Dr. Bell walked out of Natalie's hospital room and warmly greeted Julie.

"Julie! How wonderful to see you! I heard you're doing well at college!"

"Yes sir, I'm trying." Julie replied. "Have you had a chance to see the reports about my mother?"

"Yes, I have. The bruising you saw was definitely caused by a person, probably another patient. But that just goes to show that they had neglected to look after her somewhat. Aside from that, she is physically sound." he answered.

"I am so glad to hear that. What about her mental status? Any responsiveness when you talked to her?"

"No dear, I'm afraid not. I believe she hears us, but she has shut down all response. It's a sort of disassociative psychosis. She just checked out." he explained.

"Is there any hope for her?" she asked.

Dr. Bell paused. "Well, I was thinking about that. She functions well enough that she doesn't necessarily have to be in a mental health facility or the like. She can walk and eat and doesn't require someone to push her around in a wheel chair or lift her in and out of bed... Will you be staying in town or in the dormitories?"

"Oh, in town. I already reached out and rented an apartment somewhat near where your office is so that wherever she is I can be nearby." Julie replied.

"Excellent! Excellent news! Julie, I have an idea. It's a little unconventional and may not work, but I think it is worth a try." he responded.

"I'm willing to try anything to make Mom better." Julie replied.

"Well, you have classes during the day and then you're home by about what time?" he asked.

"I have class between 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM every day." she answered.

"And then you come home, no jobs, right?" he asked.

"Yes. I am in school on scholarship. Everything is paid for." she replied.

"That's great. That's great. Here's my thought. How about if your mother stays with you during the evenings and weekends and we have someone watching over her and working with her during the day." he stated.

"Sorta like assisted living?" she asked.

"In a way, yes. Except, with a twist." Dr Bell walked back to the Natalie's hospital room door and looked in on her. She was sound asleep. He turned and walked back to Julie.

"Julie, I am thinking what may help your mother is to let her be around surroundings that are very familiar to her. Friendly places. A home away from home. Help her to feel reconnected. Loved. Cared for."

"What are you suggesting, Dr. Bell?" she responded.

Dr Bell replied, "I hope you don't mind, but I have taken the liberty to reach out to Adrian Monk to see if he would be willing to look after Natalie throughout the day."

"Mr. Monk?!" Julie exclaimed. "He can't even take care of himself!"

"Oh, you're wrong there Julie. Adrian is much better than he used to be. He's really blossomed over the past few years. Sometimes I'm even surprised he's still seeing me. Oh sure, he still has his issues. Always will. But he's stronger. More independent. He hasn't' even had an assistant since your Mom left. I think…I think it would be good for him…for them. For them both. They really connected. She really understood him and supported him during some of the hardest times. And he was able to open up to her like nobody else, even me. What do you think?" he asked.

"Are you sure, Dr. Bell?" she responded.

"If I weren't sure then I wouldn't be suggesting it." he replied with a smile on his face.

Julie smiled back and then with a slightly nervous reply stated,"Very well then. Mr. Monk it is! It will be good to see him again!"


	3. Chapter 3

The doorbell to Mr. Monk's had run five minutes earlier at which point Adrian Monk told Julie over the intercom that he would be right there. Since then, he had spent the time making sure everything was exactly perfect for his special guest.

A vase of tulips sat on the kitchen table. All were cut to a perfectly symmetrical length and arranged in a perfectly symmetrical order, pink tulips with pink tulips, white tulips with white tulips, yellow tulips in the middle. Photos on the mantle were arranged in an equidistant fashion and now not only included a photo of Adrian and Trudy at their wedding, but photos of Natalie, Julie and himself, a photo of him receiving an award from the San Francisco mayor alongside his longtime friend Captain Leland Stottlemeyer, and a recent photo of his old assistant Sharona ,her adult son, Benjy, and her new husband Randy Disher who was holding their 6 month old daughter, Ophelia. The photographic arrangement was a chronicle of his adult life – filled with sweet memories and tragic pain. A full life. A survivor's life.

He walked one last time to the mirror to make sure that every hair was in place and that he would look good for his dear friend. He had missed her so much, and the thought of seeing her again both thrilled him and caused his heart to ache. He had tried to prepare himself for what he would see when she walked through the door. When he talked with Julie on the phone the previous night, she said that her mother was a mess and had just shut out everyone. She had seemingly given up on life. This thought hurt him to his core; however, he knew he had to hold it together for her sake and be her rock as she had been his for so many years.

He looked at his face in the mirror, appropriately aged for a man of 53 and not showing at all the strain the last 15 years had placed upon him, straightened his collar, patted the sides of his hair, stood up straight and went to answer the door.

"Julie! Julie Teeger! It has been so long…oh my goodness let me look at you! You're all grown up!" he said with a broad smile as he put his hands on her arms and drew her in for a hug.

"Mr. Monk! It is wonderful to see you! Thank you so much for agreeing to spend some time with Mom." Julie replied turning to her side and leading her mother by the hand up to Adrian's door.

"Are you kidding?" he responded. "It'll be like old times." He lied, knowing that his dear friend would likely never be the same after this experience.

"Mom? Mom? Do you remember Mr. Monk?" Julie said, looking into Natalie's somewhat confused eyes.

Timidly, Natalie stepped forward and looked Adrian directly in the eyes. At first, her eyes had the same flat vacant stare as they had for months, but then they softened with a level of recognition. She loved her old boss and despite her disconnect from the world, the sense of ease and care that she felt being in his presence was reflected in some subtle way.

"That's more of a reaction than we've had in months" Julie mused. "Dr. Bell may be on to something."

For Adrian's part, as much as he had tried to prepare himself, he struggled to maintain composure. On the one hand, reuniting with his best friend gave him an overwhelming sense of happiness. On the other, his formerly vibrant, athletic and cheerful assistant was a shadow of her old self and now appeared drawn, grey and older than her years. What must she be thinking? Even though their situations were somewhat different, Monk felt like he might be the one person in her world that could very much identify with the pain and confusion and despair that Natalie felt. He knew the dark place she was in, and he knew that his purpose was to bring her out of that pit.

"Natalie." He said softly as he walked over and wrapped his arms around her, holding her gently. "I have missed you so much." She did not return the gesture, but her body was not stiff. In fact, she appeared to relax even more through the comfort of his embrace. "Here, let me take your jacket." he said as he slipped it off her shoulders and put it on a wooden hanger that had been hanging on the coat rack.

"Won't you both come in?" he asked.

"Actually, Mr. Monk. I have a class that starts in about 20 minutes, so I need to be going. But thank you for the invitation. Mom had breakfast at 6:00 this morning and should be ready for lunch around noon. She is due her medication at that point as well and then again at 6:00. It helps her sleep. Beyond that, I believe Dr. Bell had suggested taking her places that she might remember to try to re-acclimate her to home." Julie said.

"Yes," Adrian responded. "I have an agenda planned out for us today. It should be a calm, peaceful day."

"Great!" Julie said "My last class today ends around 5:00 PM then after that I told my friend Shelly that I would drop off some old clothes at her church for the clothing drive they are having. I should be able to come pick her up after that, say maybe 6:30?"

"Take your time" he replied. "If you're not back by then, there's plenty to eat around here. I'll feed her and have her ready for you when you get here."

"You're the greatest, Mr. Monk!" Julie said, then walked to Natalie, cupped her cheek in her hand and said, "Mom, you be good for Mr. Monk and do whatever he tells you. I'll be back a little later. I love you!"

Julie kissed her mom on the cheek and then took off out Monk's front door leaving Adrian and Natalie alone.

"Natalie, why don't you come in here?" said Adrian as he led her by the arm into his living room. "Please. Sit down. I will go get you some juice."

Natalie sat down on the couch and slowly looked around. Her eyes fixated on a new painting on the wall. It was of a young woman on a beach collecting sea shells with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. The woman's long blonde hair obscured much of her face, but she looked very youthful and pretty and happy. Once upon a time, that was Natalie. So full of promise and hope, a world of possibility in front of her. That was before life stepped in.

"That's Molly." Adrian said, interrupting her gaze. "I had it commissioned off some photographs that I took when we were out at Baker beach last summer. He reached out with a glass of orange juice and handed it to Natalie. "Here you go! It's fresh squeezed." Natalie took a sip of the juice and looked into his eyes with a look he could not interpret.

"Good, huh?" he responded. "Well, drink up, because we have a busy day ahead of us. First, I planned on a picnic lunch for us in the park, then I thought we might swing by the police station and say hi to the Captain. After that, if we have time, I thought we might drive down the wharf and see what they have going on at the Art museum. I know how you like museums. Then finally, I need to stop by the grocery for a few items for tomorrow. Does that sound okay?"

Natalie did not respond but continued drinking her orange juice and looking at Adrian with a curious stare. How he wished he could read her thoughts. In lieu of that, he knew that his presence alone would be a comfort to her. And so, he just sat down and let her finish up while he looked at a map of the city to chart their course.

After about 15 minutes had passed, he neatly folded the map and stood up and went into the kitchen. Speaking to her from the kitchen, he pointed out the tulips. "These are for you. I know how much you love flowers, and with the Springtime upon us, I thought you might like them."

He picked up a picnic basket and put it on the table. He pulled out a sheet of paper and began to check off the various items that they would need for their feast. "Sandwiches, yes. Bottled water, check. Chips,…" he paused. "Ah, chips…" he smiled as he remembered the time she cashed in her 'karma chips' when she accidentally shot him in the leg. He shook himself out of his daydream and finished up the list, "Plates, utensils, napkins, wipes…looks like it is all here."

"Are you ready to go?" he asked Natalie. "let me go get your jacket." He went to the coat rack and returned with her jacket as she stood up, empty glass in hand. "Here you go…let me take that." Mr. Monk took the glass, rinsed if off with dish soap and water and put it in the dishwasher before returning to his guest and leading her to the door with his hand on the small of her back.

He looked around, made sure that all of the lights were off and that the stove was shut off and out the door they went for their first big day together.

They walked down the hallway and out to door to the car that was parked on the street. Adrian sat the picnic basket on the roof of the car as he helped get Natalie situated in the front passenger seat. At first, she halted and hesitated getting into the car. He smiled and put his hand on her back and said "It's okay. Rainman is an excellent driver."

She got into the car and he reached around her to make sure she was buckled up. Next, he opened the rear passenger door and put the basket next to some neatly folded blankets that he had put in the back seat earlier that morning. Shutting the door, he walked around to the driver's side, slipped into the front seat and started the ignition. "It sure is good to have you back, Natalie." He said as he checked his rear and side view mirrors three times, pulled out of his spot and drove away.

10 seconds later, unbeknownst to him, a silver SUV pulled out of a spot about three doors down. Keeping out of sight, the driver continued to follow Adrian and Natalie to the park and parked the SUV where it would not be perceived.

As Adrian spread blankets on the green grass so that he and Natalie could sit down, the driver of the car began taking pictures of the two friends making sure not to miss a moment.

"This is going to be a piece of cake" said the driver to himself. "They don't' suspect a thing.


	4. Chapter 4

" It stinks doesn't it? It stinks horribly." Adrian said to Natalie as he placed real China and Silverware on the tablecloth in front of her.  
"Nobody really understands. And yet everyone wants to give advice." He said as he unwrapped a chicken salad sandwich on a croissant and placed it on her plate.

"It's okay." he continued. "I get it. I know where you're at... I understand." He stopped, looked into her eyes and placed his hand on her arm and then spoke in slow, measured tones, "And I want you to know... you are not alone. I am here for you. I will take care of you as you once did me. I am not going anywhere. Because... well... you're my best friend and I love you."

Adrian drew out a wipe from it's Container and gently washed her hands and then drew her right hand to his lips and kissed it, patted it, and then set it down on her lap.

He then drew out another wipe , washed his own hands, and began feeding her the sandwich by hand. As she ate she looked him square in his eyes and longed to speak to him, but she couldn't. She wanted to tell him about all of her pain and let him comfort her, but she couldn't. She wanted to scream, but she sat in silence, eating a sandwich fed to her by this quirky man who knew her better than anyone else and with whom she felt safe and loved. Adrian Monk and Julie were now the two closest people in her world. If anything were to happen to either one of them she'd die. Suddenly Natalie dropped her head as a tear rolled down her cheek at the very thought.

Adrian looked at her, set down the sandwich and picked up a napkin and began to dab her face. "I know. It hurts. It hurts bad. Cry all you need to." He said as he put his arm around her and her tears began to flow. Oblivious to time, they sat together for the longest time, his arms enveloping her and she laid her head on his chest and the cool spring breeze caressed their faces and the warm rays of the sun provided a comforting blanket for them both.

Meanwhile, not far away sat a shadowy figure on a cell phone.

"Yeah. I've got my eyes on both of them. It's definitely her. And from what I can see, it would be as easy as could be to just walk up and put the two of them out of their misery."

"No you fool! I do not want them dead." said the voice on the phone. "I want to watch them suffer. The way to get to Adrian Monk is to get to Natalie Albright. The way to get to Natalie is to get to Adrian. They are two peas from the same pod. Monk may think that he has recovered his moorings but let's just see how strong he really is when we take his girl. And that Natalie ... Her bats have already left the belfry. I wonder how long it will take to turn her into a blithering idiot in some mental ward forever. Go! Get that girl. I want her alive. I have no intention of killing either one... at least not just yet. But, I will make them wish they were dead." the sinister voice said with a maniacal laugh as he hung up the phone.


	5. Chapter 5

Leland Stottlemeyer was perturbed. No, he was more than perturbed. He was furious, and with good reason. He and his fellow police officers put their lives at risk daily only to see some really bad people let out of jail through early parole or pardon. It seemed that the more connections that one had the more likely that was to happen, which is why he became so angry when the outgoing governor's pardon list was released to the press earlier that morning. On it were several names that he had helped to put behind bars. Murderers, human traffickers, drug kingpins, the dregs of society. Politics was often such a crooked game and nothing was more crooked then letting some of these folks off with time served for some of the most heinous crimes. The love of money is the root of all evil, and nobody loves money more than a crooked politician. Oh, if life were only the way he wanted it.

He had no soon slammed the newspaper down on the desk when in walked Monk with Natalie by his side. Startled at her frail appearance, Leland did not let on and instead leapt up from his seat to greet her with a gentle hug. "Natalie! It is so good to see you! Monk. Good to see you too."

Natalie looked a Captain Stottlemeyer and just listened.

"Here, why don't you sit down over here for a few minutes and rest. You look tired." He continued.

"We're not going to stay here very long, Captain." Said Monk "We stayed so long at the park earlier today that the time got away from us. I need to run and pick up some things from the store so I can get Natalie home before Julie comes to pick her up."

"Oh, I see. Well I'm glad you stopped by and let me see her since she is back in town. We'll have to catch up soon." Stottlemeyer responded, and then pulled Monk to the side. "How is she really, Monk? She looks so sad and worn out."

"Not good." Monk responded, "But I think a little better as the day has worn on. She's in a very deep pit right now. It may be a while before she crawls out of it, but we've got to be patient. "

"Different subject." He continued. "What were you yelling about when we came in?"

"Oh, just the pathetic excuse of justice in the governor's pardon. Do you know that several of these guys are from cases that we worked on together? I don't know, is it worth it?" he explained handing Monk the newspaper.

Monk perused the list of names and then threw the paper down himself. "They spit on the victims every time they pull a stunt like this. How sad. Anything we can do?"

"No, it's a done deal" Stottlemeyer replied. "I'll be some of them are already out."

"Sickening." Monk said, shaking his head.

"Well, aside from this, things have been eerily quite these days. I can't help feel like it is the calm before the storm." Stottlemeyer said.

"I had wondered what was going on. I hadn't been called for case for a few weeks." Adrian replied. "I thought maybe you didn't like me anymore." He smiled.

"Ha! No, not that at all. Adrian Monk, you're the best, most brilliant detective I've ever known, and I'm glad you are on our side. I can't imagine if that brilliant intellect were used for nefarious purposes. Makes me shutter. You wouldn't want to run for Governor, would you?"

Monk laughed. "Yeah, right. I'd never get anything done. Have you seen all the posts and columns in the state capitol? No thank you."

Just then he looked over at Natalie who was falling asleep in her chair. "Awe, look at her. I really need to get her home." Said Adrian.

"Okay," Leland responded. "Keep me up to date on how she's doing. We've got to get our girl healthy again. She's too valuable to lose."

"Yes. She is. She's way too valuable to me to let her spend the rest of her days like this." Adrian said as he gently tapped Natalie on the arm. "Natalie, wake up. Time to start heading home."

Natalie opened her sleepy eyes and looked at Adrian with a sense of peace and contentment. She stood up to go and as they began walking, she put her hand around his arms just like she had done so many times before. He stopped and looked at her and smiled. Then, he continued walking her out to the car.

==============================================================================  
The shadowy figure kept pace behind Adrian's car as he pulled into the grocery store parking lot.

Adrian looked over at Natalie who had fallen asleep again.

"Bless your heart. I'm afraid I've worn you out." he said to Natalie who barely opened her eyes. "You just stay right here and rest. I'm going to run inside and pick up some bread and eggs and something for lunch tomorrow."

Adrian exited the car and locked the car doors behind him. He opened his jacket and pulled out a packet of bleach infused wipes he saved just for this occasion. He shuddered to think how many germs were on the grocery cart handle.

He had the aisles memorized, and immediately headed to aisle 1 for the bread, aisle 5 for some chicken for tomorrow's lunch, and aisle 8 for some eggs and cheese. When he reached aisle 8 a grocery clerk walked up to him and watched him quietly. Adrian stopped and looked at the young man and said "Good afternoon" as he returned to the shelves where the eggs sat and then began to open the carton and take two eggs out.

"I knew it was you!" the clerk exclaimed.

"What? Me? What?"a startled Adrian asked.

"You're the one leaving two eggs behind every week. Not this time buddy. You take them all or you're not leaving the store with any eggs. Do you know how much of a mess those things make when you just leave them out like that? Inevitably, they fall on the floor and then guess who gets to clean them up! Take them all or none at all."

"Don't be ridiculous" Adrian responded. "I want 10 eggs. I don't want a dozen eggs. 10 is a much more round number. Why would anyone choose 12 as the number? And besides, the customer is always right!"

"Not this time. Nothing but 100% full egg cartons are going out of here today." The clerk said as he opened Adrian's egg cart and put the two eggs back inside.

"Now, look what you've done!" Adrian said. "You've gone and run your grubby hands on the eggs."

"So?" said the clerk.

"So, now I have to get another carton." Adrian put the carton back that the clerk had touched and went for another carton – opening it up and once again removing two eggs.

"Security! We have a problem in aisle 8" the clerk said through a walkie talky device.

"What? Are you kidding me?" Adrian responded , as a very tall guard came up and stood before them.

"What's the problem, Pete?" the guard asked.

"This is the two-egg guy…" the clerk responded.

"The two-egg guy? Shouldn't it be the ten-egg guy? Technically, I take 10 eggs, not 2." Adrian joked, though it sounded perfectly reasonable to him.

"Alright Mister." the guard responded. "You either take the full carton or you get no eggs today, you understand?"

"This is ridiculous!" Adrian responded.

"Do you understand?" the guard said towering over Adrian.

Adrian paid the cashier as the bagboy put the last bag in his cart.

"Are you making custard or something?" the cashier asked?

"Ma'am?" Adrian responded.

"Are you making custard? I've never seen someone check out with five cartons of eggs before." She replied. "Seems like you're making custard for a platoon or something."

"Oh" he smiled. "No. I bought 5 cartons because 12 times 5 is 60."

The woman looked at him with confusion. "So?"

Well, 60 divided by 10 is 6. I have an empty carton at home that I was going to recycle and figured I might as well make it even."

"Uh, if you say so." The cashier responded.

Just then, someone came into the store asking "does anyone in here drive a Black Camry? Your car is on fire."

Adrian dropped the money on the counter and looked towards the outside. "Natalie!" He ran outside. 

By now, the car was fully engulfed in flames, and with a full tank of gas he was fearful there would be an explosion. Visions of Trudy's vehicle popped in his head as he ran towards the car.

"Mister! Stay away! That think is bound to explode." Yelled a bystander.

"Natalie! I have to save Natalie!" he said, as a larger man grabbed him by his arms and held him back.

"You talkin' about that blond headed woman?" another person said.

Just then, the car exploded and Adrian dropped to his knees in tears. "Natalie!""" He tried to jump back up and run into the flames when the larger man intervened.

"She ain't there, Mister. She ain't there." Said the bystander.

"Whuh…what?" said Adrian in despair. "She was in the car…"

"I saw some dude in a silver SUV take her out of the car about 10 minutes ago and drive away. He left something in your seat. That must have started the fire. But that lady wasn't in there."

As the flames died down a bit, Adrian could see that indeed there was no body in the front seat. Breathlessly he picked up his cell phone. "Captain." he stammered "this is Adrian. Adrian Monk. They've got Natalie!"


	6. Chapter 6

Captain Stottlemeyer exited his sedan and made his way to the crime scene. Police were interviewing witnesses as Monk tried to pick up on anything whatsoever that might lead to finding Natalie's whereabouts.

The person who spotted the SUV was no more than 18 years old and indicated things happened too quickly for him to say anything. Besides, the woman didn't appear to put up a struggle and got into the SUV willingly. Only after they had pulled away did the car burst into flames.

The fire department put out the fire and all that remained of Monk's car was the charred remains of a burnt-out frame. He walked over to the car and spoke to it "I never was that fond of driving anyway." As he turned to walk away, he noticed something shiny on the ground about 6 feet from the vehicle. Walking over to it he noticed it was some sort of a lapel pin. Two letter As, one within the other, were emblazoned on it along with an elongated 5-pointed star. Was this guy part of Alcoholics Anonymous or something? Did this even belong to the perpetrator that had Natalie. He pointed it out to Stottlemeyer who had the investigators bag it for evidence.

The fire marshall walked over to Stottlemeyer and said "Well, Captain…we've done a preliminary investigation and determined that whatever incendiary this was was not gasoline. It was much hotter. Look underneath the car. "

"It melted the asphalt?" Stottlemeyer asked.

"Yes. Pretty much anything in the near vicinity. It looks like it was stored in some sort of canister or device that the suspect placed in the back seat and either went off by a timer or some sort of detonation. Forensics has collected the sample and we should hear something back by tomorrow." The marshall continued.

"Like Trudy." Monk replied.

"Except not like Trudy." Stottlemeyer interrupted, keeping Monk's thoughts from turning any darker than they already were. "If this guy wanted Natalie dead, he would seen to it that she died. They want to keep her alive, but I think they may want to mess with your head a little so that it makes it harder for you to concentrate."

"But why Natalie?" Adrian asked. "Why not just go after me? I'm fair game. I can't even fight off grocery store bouncers."

"Because that would be too easy on you." Stottlemeyer replied. "Anyone who knows you knows how important of a role Natalie has played in your life. If they want to get to you, they can easily get to you through getting to her. By reminding you of Trudy and causing you for that split second to fear the worst, they took a shot at your heart. This appears to be revenge."

"Who would want revenge on detective Monk?" The Fire Marshall asked.

"Half the prison population, I would suppose" said Stottlemeyer "or at least a lot of folks. But there is one man in particular who always seems to appear at these moments and I think maybe we should go pay him a visit."

"Ayyydrrian MonK and the formidable Captain Leland Stottlemeyer" the morbidly obese man said peering out the bars of his oversized cell. "To what do I owe the misery of this visit?"

"Did you do it? Biederbeck. Did you have something to do with Natalie's disappearance?"

"Natalie? Natalie Teeger? I haven't heard that name in years. Wait. Didn't she dump you and go marry that handsome Navy officer – Steven…oh, what was his name. Steven Albright?"

"Steven Albright is dead." Stottlemeyer interjected. "Killed at sea. We are looking for Natalie now. Someone kidnapped her from a parking lot and then blew up Monk's car."

"Blew up his car? Wow! Remind me to stay out of vehicles around you Adrian. What does this have to do with me?"

"This has your M.O. all over it, Dale." Adrian responded.

"Interesting. Well, unfortunately, you all have taken away all of my external modes of communication, so I really have no way of setting up something as creatively delicious as taking your sweet Natalie away and leaving you with a burnt out car."

"But, I'll bet you know who did it." Adrian replied coldly.

"Why, Ayyydrian. Why would you expect that I would know such a thing? Of course, there has been chatter in the cafeteria that someone was coming after you. But, no names were mentioned as to who…nor did they mention coming after Natalie. But, I'll tell you what. If you will have them return my television set to my cell, I'll keep an ear out and let you know if I hear anything."

"Forget it." replied Stottlemeyer. "Monk, you seen enough?"

"Yeah." Adrian said. "Let's go."

Julie was not taking the news well. "What do you mean someone kidnapped her? Mr. Monk! I let my Mom spend one afternoon with you and THIS is the result?"

"I know, I know, I know. I shouldn't have stopped at the store. I should have taken her straight home. She was so tired. I didn't want to disturb her. I was such a jerk wanting to go pick up eggs. Stupid eggs!" Adrian replied with tears in his eyes.

"Well you'd better find her Mr. Monk. You'd better not stop until she is back here safely with us!"

"You have my word of honor, Julie. I will find her and she is going to be okay, if it's the last thing I do."

"Well, Mrs. Teeger, or is it Albright, or Davenport? We've done everything we can to ensure your stay with us will be memorable. Are you comfortable? Can I get you a drink? Perhaps something to eat?" the tall dark man said as he circled Natalie who was now tied to a chair.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" the man sneered as a look of fear crossed her face. "Never to worry. I'm not going to kill you. I'm certainly not interested in any sort of relationship with you. You don't exactly have the best of luck with men after all…No, dear, I have brought you here in order to settle a score I have with a certain Adrian Monk. We have left certain clues behind that if I know Mr. Monk, he's already onto and is hot on our trail. I'm sure we will hear from him in the next few days. Meanwhile, my partner and I will take turns ensuring you are kept comfortable." the dark man said as he pointed to the driver of the SUV, a well-built man in his late 30s.

Natalie knew the man speaking, but she could not immediately place him. The other man, the one who had driven the SUV, she did not know. But he had lured her out of the car by telling her that Adrian had been detained by Captain Stottlemeyer and he was her ride home. Only after she had gotten into the car did she suspect that the story was a lie.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Officer Tommy Briggs quickly carried an envelope into Captain Stottlemeyer's office as he and a sleepless Adrian Monk were diagramming the course of events and what they knew thus far. "Captain Stottlemeyer", said Briggs, "those results you were looking for are in.

"Great, let me see the envelope." Stottlemeyer replied.

Opening its contents he read a few words under his breath and then informed Monk and Briggs that the Fire Marshall had been right. The fuel used in the car fire was not gasoline but something that burned much hotter – it was rocket fuel.

"Rocket fuel?" said Monk. "Hey, wait a minute, let me see that insignia that we found on the scene." Stottlemeyer handed him the evidence bag. "What do you think?" he said.

"AA. A.A. What is A.A.?" Monk responded.

"Briggs, run a check on all rocket fuel companies in the area that might have the initials A.A." Stottlemeyer ordered.

"Yes, sir." Briggs said, leaving the room.

"Something doesn't feel right, Leland." Adrian proclaimed. "Why burn my car? Why use something as incendiary as rocket fuel. I didn't have anything other than Natalie in that car that was of value. Why the big show?"

"Good question, Monk. I wish I knew the answer. The way things are going, the evidence is right there in black and white right before our eyes."

"Black and white. Black and white." Monk said as he turned thoughts around within his head. "Black and….Hey! That's it!" he said with his knowing grin.

"What's it?" asked Stottlemeyer.

"Where's that newspaper you showed me earlier today, you know the one with the governor's pardons?" Adrian asked.

"Over here." Leland said handing Monk the paper. "What are you on to?"

"Just a second…here…here it is. The outgoing California governor issued pardons to the following convicts… There it is. Steve Wagner. Steve Wagner! That's the guy!"

"Steve Wagner, the astronaut? The one that murdered his ex-girlfriend when she was going to write a book about their affair?"

"One and the same. He worked for the civilian group called Altman Aeronautics. A.A. and remember, he was an expert craftsman of mechanical devices. He made that device that made it look like the girlfriend hung herself by using cables and a garage door opener hidden within a doll."

"I remember he was one cocky son of a gun. That would explain the rocket fuel too. Surely Altman wouldn't have rehired a convicted murderer." Stottlemeyer proclaimed.

"Only one way to find out. Let's run this guy down and find out where he was yesterday and what he's been up to since the governor's pardon." said Monk.


	8. Chapter 8

Steve Wagner's lifestyle had decreased significantly between when Monk first encountered him and today. His wife had left him and remarried. His house had sold, but the proceeds either went to his wife or to legal fees. His endorsements dried up as did his political aspirations. He lived in a suburban area outside of Oakland in a modest house with his brother and sister in law and their 3 children. He was a picture perfect illustration that crime doesn't pay. He had murdered a girl, and it had cost him everything – except perhaps, his attitude.

"Steve Wagner?" Captain Stottlemeyer said as he walked up to Wagner who was doing some landscaping work with his brother.

Steve was dressed in a tank top and blue jeans, his astronaut physique all but obliterated by nearly seven years in jail. Seven years. Seven years for the per-meditated murder of a young woman was all that he got until his connections and celebrity got him the governor's pardon. He had been somewhat of a model prisoner, and at the low security prison that they sent him to, he pretty much stayed quiet. But those connections would not erase his past and a pardon only took him out of the penal system. It did not restore what he had.

"Yeah, that's me." Said Steve, wiping some sweat off of his sweaty brow.

"Captain Stottlemeyer of the San Francisco P.D., I'd like to ask you a few questions about your whereabouts yesterday afternoon, around say 4:30."

"Listen Captain, I've paid my debt to society. I will not sit still and be harassed every time you guys find some crime has been committed." Steve said cockily.

"Sir, I haven't accused you of anything. It's all just part of the investigation." Leland replied.

"Fine. Fine. I was over at the governor's office finishing up final paperwork associated with my release, then I spent about 30 minutes being interviewed by the local news. Program will air on channel 2 sometime next week." Wagner replied.

"Are there witnesses to say you were there?" Stottlemeyer asked.

"Plenty. Hey, what's this about?" Wagner asked.

"You know what it's about." Adrian responded. "What did you do with her?"

Wagner laughed, "Monk? Adrian Monk. You haven't changed a bit. Still the annoying little twerp you always were."

"Where is Natalie? If you so much as harm one hair on her head…" Adrian was seething.

"Monk, that's enough." Stottlemeyer scolded.

"We will be checking out your alibi at the governor's office and also at channel 2. Stay close by in case we have other questions." Stottlemeyer said to Wagner who replied with a scowl.

"And exactly where would I go?"

Back in the car, Stottlemeyer spoke to Adrian as the friend he had always been.

"Listen Adrian", Leland said using Monk's proper name. "I know you are scared and I know you are angry. This girl means a lot to you. She means a lot to all of us. But…"

"I was supposed to take care of her," Adrian replied. "She's so vulnerable right now. I am supposed to be her protector."

"You are her protector." Stottlemeyer interjected.

"Fine protector." Adrian scoffed.

"Listen Adrian, in all of the time I've known you I have known one thing. When you love someone, it is forever, be they a friend or spouse or something else. You are a bit of a hard nut to crack, but once someone is in, they are in."

Adrian looked up at the Captain as Leland continued.

"Now there is no way you would have deliberately let this happen. You'd take a bullet for this woman. You'd die for her. We all see that. And if they hadn't gotten her at the grocery store they would have gotten her someplace else. We just have to figure out who 'they' is."

"I'm telling you, Captain, Wagner's the guy." Replied Adrian.

"But it appears he has an alibi." Stottlemeyer responded.

"Yeah, he did last time too. He's good for making iron clad alibis. But this one is simple. If he was everywhere he said he was, then fine. He had an accomplice." Adrian retorted.

"Why would anyone help Wagner? It's not like he has any connections any more." Stottlemeyer asked.

"Well, apparently he has connections that get him to the governor's mansion." Adrian countered.

Leland thought that statement over then said, "Monk. You are almost never wrong about these things. If you say he's the guy, then he's the guy. But you have to do one thing."

"What's that?" Adrian asked.

"You have to ramp down your emotions a bit. I think you're letting your relationship with Natalie cloud your thinking right now. If you do that, you'll make stupid mistakes and we need your analysis at full potency. We're not ready to present a case against Wagner at this point. Do you think you can remain calm enough to continue?" he asked.

"Of course. I'm a professional." Adrian responded.

"You're also a man. And a friend. And the woman you love is in harm's way." He continued. "It's natural you would want to act. But you have to resist that urge. You have to hold back until we can firm this case up and find out where she is. You got it?"

"I've got it." Adrian responded as he pondered Leland's comments. The woman he loved. The woman he loved. There had only been one woman in his life whom he had loved with that kind of love, he thought. Natalie had always been a friend. A very close friend. But he hadn't allowed himself to think of her as more, or at least he hadn't admitted that he thought of her as more. But what Leland observed was right. Natalie was more. He did love her. He loved her as his best friend but he also loved her as a man to a woman. He loved in a way similar to the way he loved Trudy. He would take a bullet for her. He would do anything to see her safe and happy. And right now, that meant suppressing his urge to go full force after Wagner. Time for that would come later. For now, finding Natalie was all that mattered.


	9. Chapter 9

Natalie quietly observed every minute detail surrounding her captivity and her captors.

She appeared to be in some sort of warehouse office secluded from all foot traffic though she could hear voices from afar at certain hours of the day. The office was dark except for the faint lines of light the came through the slats of the window blinds. Occassionally she would see a shadow of a person walking by, but she was unable to say anything or cry out at all. She had become quite cognizant of everything around her, but it was as if she was trapped in one of those dreams where you try to scream but nothing comes out. Terrified, and yet determined. She needed to break free. Julie and Adrian would be so worried.

She still hadn't been able to place the tall dark man but when the other man came into the room with some sort of uniform on, she knew. A patch on his chest said "Altman Aeronautics." Where had she heard of that before? Wasn't that the place where that Steve Wagner worked as a test pilot? Yes! Steve Wagner! She had placed where she saw the dark man from... but how Wagner? Wasn't he serving 25 to life for the murder of his former girlfriend? Natalie flashed back to the time when Monk outran an F22 fighter jet to keep Wagner from escaping with evidence. She also remembered Adrian calling himself a "Muss" when compared to other men- a mutant combination of a man and a wuss. These were the things that had caused her to love him. Yes, he could be infuriating; but, he was really a one of a kind combination of bravery and gentleness with a wickedly dry sense of humor and an unshakable sense of loyalty.

Natalie's thoughts returned to Wagner. If he was out of prison, Adrian was in great danger. When they met him, Wagner was a superstar. She saw him as one day running for President or something. So did he. He didn't think they would catch him. But he didn't know Adrian Monk. Somehow she needed to get to Adrian to warn him of the trap.

"No. I haven't seen Wagner here in years" Jake Bellows said as they walked through Altman's Research headquarters and the site of the planned rocket lauch of the Zenith manned spacecraft. "Quite frankly, after his arrest this company was almost went under so he's the last person we'd want to see. I mean when our star attraction turns out to be a cold blooded murderer... not exactly good for recruiting new sponsors."

"But Altman survived?" asked Leland.

"Yeah. Thanks to our space program and some research grants from Governor Greenway."

"Greenway?" Leland and Adrian said simultaneously. There it was. The tie to Wagner.

"So, Governor Greenway is somehow involved with Altman?" Leland asked

"Oh, he stops by every few weeks to check on the progress of his investments." the man answered." his wife is on the Board of Directors"

"Isn't that a conflict of interests?" Adrian asked.

"Well, I Suppose it is. But, you know politics! Anyway, it's like his toy. In fact, he wanted to an astronaut when he was growing up but he was not able to pass the physical requirements that NASA prescribed. Frankly, I think he has been trying to buy his way onto a flight to be the first governor in space. More like the first blimp to leave the atmosphere" he said with a chuckle.

"Grayson. You're wanted at the vacuum chamber." a voice shouted from across the hangar. Stottlemeyer and Monk took notice.

"Who's that?" Monk asked.

"That's Sam Grayson. He's the the head of the flight crew going up on the launch Sunday." Bellows replied.

Grayson was tall, blond and handsome - looking a lot like Val Kilmer in Top Gun but taller and with just as much swagger.

"Oh, and over there is Rachel Dawson. She's going up as well. Rumor has it that Grayson and Dawson are an item, but that's just the rumor. Hey, do you guys want to take a tour?"

Monk and Stottlemeyer looked at each other and responded "sure" in a staggered fashion.

Bellows walked them out into the facility which was much larger than it appeared at first. He showed them the research labs and the area where they stored the spacesuits. Then, he took them aboard an actual spaceship, showing them everything from the command module to the payload bay. Grayson would be up front with another astronaut named James Stevens while 6 other specialists would be stationed throughout the craft handling various technical tasks and performing various experiments. A Spacelab was set up in a module inside the payload bay and crew members could enter and exit via its two airlocks, one at the front leading to the interior of the pressurized cabin and the other led directly to the payload bay itself where crew members could attend to cargo without having to actually leave the vessel. Onboard the space lab were computer servers and other devices that would monitor onboard conditions and record information that the sensors were putting out.

Inside the main cabin, Bellows pointed out the eating facilities as well as the bathing and restroom accommodations. When Monk saw how they accommodated basic bodily functions he stated "No thanks. I think I would need a new spacesuit."

"Sorry, Mr. Monk." Bellows said. But I dont' think you could afford it. One spacesuit costs about $12,000,000. Of course, the orange ones are a lot less. They are the launch and reentry suits and are mainly there for emergencies, though they do serve some functions."

"You'd think maybe porta-potty would be in one of them." Monk responded.

"Actually, sir, it's all a well thought out machine. You don't want anything that is not tethered down controlling human waste. Remember, it's all zero gravity. Messes can and do happen. That's why we carry wipes. Antimicrobial wipes, antibacterial wipes, rough wipes, soft wipes.

"I'm in love!" said Adrian with a smile as he looked at all of the various provisions for cleanliness that existed around the restroom facilities.

Suddenly, Bellows pager went off. Looking at it he said, "Well, gentlemen. It's been real. I do have to run. I'll go grab one of my assistants to escort you out of the facility. Please stay right here."

As Bellows looked for an assistant, Adrian got a good look at the building.

It was a massive open area with offices lining both sides of the hangar on two floors. Mechanics were at the far end of the facility while spacecraft were parked in the middle. It was a very busy place and had to be exciting to work in, if you were in to that sort of thing.

Bellows walked up with a young intern, about 20 years old. "Here they are. Would you escort our guests out?" he said to the young man. The young man responded "Follow me gentlemen."

Outside the hangar, Stottlemeyer stopped and looked at Adrian. "You get anything in there?"

"Yeah. I get that we might want to pay a visit to the governor."

"What for?" Stottlemeyer asked. "I don't see any reason to think he is involved."

"Well, he has motive..." Monk responded.

"And what is that?" Stottlemeyer replied.

"Money. One of the oldest motives ever. I'll bet there is more to the Governor's pardon of Wagner than meets the eye."

"Do you think the governor is his accomplice?" Stottlemeyer asked.

"Not sure. But, a little talk with him might be informative." Monk responded.

"Monk. Be careful. You're messing with the big boys now. They could see to it that you never work in this town again." he replied.

"I don't care, Leland. Someone has Natalie, and I don't care if it is the President of the United States - if he is hiding that secret, his butt is mine."


	10. Chapter 10

The gold walls of Governor Greenway's office provided a rich backdrop for the ornate 20th century woodwork and furniture throughout the room. Coupled with the warm sunlight shining through his window, Greenway looked somehow warmer than Stottlemeyer and Monk had expected. Truthfully, he had a reputation of being a jerk, and almost everyone knew that his wife was really the one with the money. But, he put on a good show and could be quite the charmer in his $8,000.00 Kiton suit and his solid gold cuff links. In fact, things initially looked hopeful as he put forward his large bear claw of a hand to shake their own. However, when Adrian felt the fat man's hand wrap around his own, he took note of the sweaty palm as well as the sweaty brow and immediately surmised the Governor was nervous.

"Certainly gentlemen, it's always a pleasure for me to talk to the San Francisco PD. What seems to be the issue that I can help you with?"

"Sir, we are just following up on leads concerning the disappearance of a young woman that we know, Mrs. Natalie Albright, and we have reason to believe that Steve Wagner may have had something to do with it." Leland responded.

"Steve Wagner? Ah, now it makes sense. You suspect Steve Wagner of a crime and you seem to think that since I pardoned him I might have had something to do with it." the governor surmised.

"Actually sir, we're just trying to gather facts here." Stottlemeyer replied. "Nobody is accusing anyone of anything just yet."

"But we would like to know why you felt it necessary to let a scumbag like Wagner out of jail." Adrian interrupted, his dark eyes flashing with anger.

The governor stopped for a minute and sized up his visitors. "I pardoned Wagner because it seemed to be the right thing to do."

"For murdering a woman? He only did about 7 or 8 years in prison." Adrian responded.

"I understand. But, frankly our system is way overcrowded and Wagner had been a model prisoner. I figured a man of his talents could continue to serve society better out of prison than inside."

"He's working for you, isn't he?" Monk replied.

"Maybe he is, maybe he isn't" replied the governor.

Stottlemeyer interjected, "That's enough Monk. Sir, I'm sorry for my friend but he's taking this case a bit personally since the girl is friend of is."

"She's your friend too, Leland." Monk replied, walking over to the fireplace mantle. "What the...?" he said noticing a particular photograph that made his blood begin to boil.

"Friend or no friend, I don't know anything about the girl's disappearance, and as for Mr. Wagner working for me, that's my own busin_"

Monk charged across the room with a framed photo in his hand, slamming it on the desk and grabbing Greenway by the collar.

"A woman's life is at stake you pathetic piece of trash, so I don't want to hear how your professional relationship with Steve Wagner is your own business."

Stottlemeyer pulled Monk off of Greenway and screamed at him "Enough! Monk! Governor, I'm sorry for the behavior of my friend... he's"

"Guards!" the governor yelled.

Stottlemeyer was still having to hold Monk back when he spotted what had set him off in the first place. It was a picture of Governor Greenway putting a medal of honor on Steve Wagner alongside Judge Ethan Rickover. "Oh my word..." the Captain proclaimed.

"If anyone hurts her, Greenway..." Monk said as the guards drug him out of the room. "YOU. WILL. PAY!"

Outside, Stottlemeyer grabbed Monk by the shoulders and said "What the heck was that?!"

"That vermin was hanging around..."

"I know, I saw the same picture. Nobody said this was a good guy, but he's the Governor of California for crying out loud!"

Monk still looked enraged and began pacing back and forth.

"That's it, Monk." Leland replied. "I'm sorry. You're too emotionally involved. You're off the case."

"What? What are you saying?" Adrian replied.

"I can't let you continue. You practically accused the Governor of being an accomplice to kidnapping and the facts don't support that. You're going to get us all fired, and may even get yourself or even Natalie killed. I have to take you off the case."

"Fine." Adrian said, with the same seething anger shining throughout his eyes. "I'll just sit at home and wait for you to call me with the news of where you found her body."

"Adrian! Just stop!" Stottlemeyer exclaimed. "We want her back safely as badly as you do."

"No you don't." Monk replied. "You can't even risk your job for her. That's okay. You have a job to do. Go ahead and do it. And I will do what I have to do."

"What are you doing Monk? Don't go do something stupid." Leland responded.

"Oh don't worry, Captain. I may appear out of control, but I'm not. I know where Natalie is, and I'm going to make sure she gets out of there alive." he said as he took off on foot to hail a taxi.

"Monk! Stop right there!" Stottlemeyer yelled.

"Leland, you've always been a friend to me. You've seen me through thick and thin. Go and do your job and I will call you if there is trouble."

"Where are you going?" Leland responded.

Monk just smiled. "Natalie will be free tonight."


	11. Chapter 11

Adrian Monk had the taxi wait outside as he ran inside his apartment and changed into all black clothing and grabbed his pistol. Sliding in the back seat, he instructed the driver to drive by the Wagner house; but, then instructed him to continue driving when he saw the police car parked outside and Steve's car nowhere to be seen.

"Where to next, buddy?" the driver asked.

"Altman Aeronautics" Monk replied. "And hurry."

It was now 11PM and the facility was abnormally lit up and swarming with vehicles for a Saturday night. It made sense since the rocket launch was the next day, but it also made things easier for Monk to slip into the facility unnoticed. He had the taxi driver let him out about a block away from AA and casually hid in the shadows as he watched guards checking IDs and letting trucks through one at a time. An army truck pulled up that was loosely covered in a tarp and was clearly about half full. This would be his ride. While the guards conversed with the driver, Monk adeptly slipped through the darkness and climbed under the tarp. The guards didn't even check the contents. He was in.

Meanwhile, Natalie had wiggled her way out of the ropes and was looking for her way of escape. She couldn't just walk out into the hallway. She had to have some sort of diversion. But what?

While she pondered her options, Monk rolled out of the back of the truck and dropped behind some crates against the wall. The noise in the facility was somewhat deafening as trucks poured in with supplies, fuel, everything that would be needed for the launch. Crouching down as low as he could go, he tried to stay out of sight. He needed to get to the stairs at the other end of the facility. He knew that they would lead to Natalie.

Suddenly a voice broke the silence. "Halt!" said the young guard, placing a gun to Adrian's back. "Where do you think you're going?" Adrian raised his hands and slowly began to turn around but changed to a quick whirl followed by a solid right hand hook to the young man's jaw. He was out cold. Seeing he was about Adrian's height, he drug him into a janitor's closet, changed into the guard's clothing, took his weapon, and locked him in the room.

Straightening his hat, he picked up a bucket of tools on the floor and looked the part of a man with purpose. Heading towards the stairwell, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Wagner.

Wagner was walking across the floor arguing with an overweight person that turned out to be the governor. He got a little closer so he could hear what was being said.

"I want nothing to do with your little revenge fest, Wagner!" Greenway yelled. "I hired you to help us get over that technological hurdle that we needed to overcome and put Altman back on the map."

"And so, you got what you paid for." Wagner replied.

"I did not pay for vengeance." Greenway replied.

"But you want it don't you? Don't you, governor?"

"What do you mean?" said the governor.

"What I mean is Judge Rickover. He was your closest friend wasn't he?"

"Uh, y-yes, I guess so." was his reply.

"Well you have Monk to thank for his death too. See, we're not so different after all. We've both been affected by this freakish detective in very significant ways."

Greenway's face grew red. "Listen, as much as I admired Ethan Rickover and valued our friendship, when I found out what he had done to Monk's wife, I was astonished. That was a man I never knew and I in no way condone what he did."

"I see" Wagner responded "Well maybe you can condone this. I have every email, every phone call that we ever made concerning this deal. And, based upon what I'm seeing, you are about to become a very very wealthy man."

"I'm already rich." said the governor.

"Yes, but Altman is about to launch into something that will put it in the history books forever. And your name will be at the top of those ingenious people who saw it come to fruition. You really don't want all of that ruined by another scandal now, do you?" Wagner said with a smirk.

"I, I guess you're right. But, I don't want another murder. You let that girl go after today. And leave Adrian Monk alone. Hasn't he been through enough?"

"Not even by half, governor. Not even by half."

Adrian reached the end of the building, set down the bucket of tools and began to climb the stairs.

Leland Stottlemeyer spoke with Steve Wagner's relatives and found that he had not been home since early Saturday morning. Taking Monk's lead, he asked Briggs to go with him to see if perhaps Wagner's car might be at Altman. The line to get to the gate was horrendous.

"Can you believe this?" Stottlemeyer said to Briggs. "It's almost midnight."

Natalie found a bottle of lighter fluid and a lighter in the top drawer of the desk, and picked up a magazine that she might light on fire to cause a diversion. She was about to reach for the door handle when she saw a shadow. Startled, she reached for the planter on the side of the door and held it over her head. As the handle turned she was determined to make whoever it was see stars and make her escape. As the door opened more fully, she was about to make her move when she caught a glimpse of the man's face in the light of the blinds.

"Adrian!"she gasped.

Adrian spun around and saw his Natalie and began to weep. "Natalie! Oh, Natalie! You spoke! And you're alive!"

The two held each other in a tight embrace as he kissed the side of her head and she buried her face in his shoulder.

"We've got to get out of here." Adrian exclaimed. "I promised I would get you out of here safely, and I am not about to break that promise. Wagner is the man. Steve Wagner. The astronaut."

"I know." Natalie said. "He's been in here."

"Did he h-hurt you?" Monk asked.

"No." Natalie replied. "He didn't hurt me. He was using me to get to you."

Adrian pondered that for a second. "Then that's all the more reason to get you out of here. I mean nothing. But if something happened to you ... I'd..." He looked deeply into her eyes and said, "we've got to go."

As the pair exited the office door, they had traveled no more than two feet when they heard a voice. "Hey! Stop right there!" Monk and Natalie turned around to see Wagner running up the stairs at full force. With everything they had in them, the couple took flight as well, running down the hallway and then ducking into an elevator about midway on their course. Monk pressed B, and began displaying his shoulder tick by shrugging the one shoulder. "I hate elevators." he remarked.

When the elevator came to a stop, he and Natalie poked their heads out and found that they were in some sort of basement tunnel. Water pipes hissed loudly over their heads and there was the constant sound of a drip...drip...drip...

"Adrian looked to his right and then left at the ceiling and grabbed Natalie's hand and began running "The exit is this way. If we can just get you to safety." Suddenly, he heard the elevator crank up again. Natalie heard it too and gasped.

Crouching down behind a cart they observed not one but two tall men step off the elevator.

"Monk! We know you're down here." It was Wagner's voice. "You go to the left and I'll go to the right." Wagner told his cohort.

"That's the guy. He's the guy who kidnapped me." Natalie whispered.

Monk squinted his eyes to see if he could make out who it was and then knew exactly who it was... It was Sam Grayson, the commander of the crew for the Rocket Launch that was to occur later that morning.

"Grayson..." Monk said out loud.

Grayson jolted and pulled out a gun. Spotting Monk and Natalie hiding in the shadows, he fired off a shot. Monk felt a searing pain in his arm but did not let on. The couple again began running for their lives, ducking and moving so that they would not be easy targets for him to hit. They had created enough distance between them that they again went and took cover - this time behind a wall.

"Natalie, take this." Monk said, handing her his pistol.

"I'm not going without you."she whispered and tried to pull him up by the arm to continue their flight. She felt something sticky. "Y-you're bleeding!"

"It's okay, Natalie. I'm okay. It's just a nick. Don't worry." he responded.

She took her jacket off and ripped a piece off to make a make-shift bandage.

"Natalie, seriously, I need you to just go. They want me. They don't want you."

"But, Adrian...I...I"

"I know. I feel the same way. But together, we're just too big of a target. Take the pistol and make your way to the front of the building. I saw some stairs there when I came in. They lead to the front door. Go, call Stottlemeyer and tell him what happened. Tell him I was right. Wagner's the guy and Grayson is his accomplice." Adrian whispered.

"I can't leave you." Natalie cried.

"You must. Please, for Julie's sake. You've got to go. I'll be okay. Really. Have I ever broken a promise to you?" Adrian said, touching her cheek.

Natalie mouthed "I love you" through her tears and then grabbed the pistol and ran as fast as she could towards the front of the building.

Grayson saw her but did not pursue. Instead, he was following a trail of blood droplets that he hoped would lead him directly to Monk.

Adrian crawled along the floor until he was able to quickly move into the shadows on the other side. He reached into his jacket where he had tucked the guard's revolver and slowly pulled back its hammer.

Moving silently in the shadows Adrian acquired a fix on his target as Grayson walked, oblivious to what was about to happen. With Grayson's chest clearly in his sights, Monk began to draw back his finger on the trigger when all of the sudden, BAM! Monk felt a crushing pain to the back of his own head as Steve Wagner hit him in the head with his own pistol handle. He immediately fell to the floor and slipped into unconsciousness.


	12. Chapter 12

"I can't believe we're going to be here investigating a kidnapping on this day of all days." Briggs said to Stottlemeyer as their car edged closer to the guard shack.

"Yeah" said Leland. "Amazing."

His mind was as far away from a space launch as the rocket would soon be to earth. All he could think of was Monk and Natalie. Had he overreacted in the governor's office? Monk was only trying to get information and the governor was clearly not cooperating. But, why did he have to come on like he did? I mean, he nearly assaulted the governor of California! Monk's lucky that he isn't in jail or shot by the governor's guards or worse. No. Leland was right to take him off the case he assured himself, even as his doubts told him otherwise. And what was that picture of Rickover? No wonder Monk got set off. The man responsible for his wife's death was once friends with Governor Greenway. Just the sight of him no doubt triggered latent anger in Monk that he had thought he had put away upon solving Trudy's murder. He had seen the look in his friend's eyes before, the day that he found Rickover and brought him to justice. Greenway is lucky he is alive.

And where was Natalie? That poor girl has been through so much. This is all so unfair. She didn't deserve to be pulled into some ex-con's vendetta. She'd better be safe, or Leland himself would make sure that Wagner would pay dearly.

Leland's thoughts were interrupted by activity at the guard shack. A man looking like a superior officer had walked up and was speaking with some urgency to the guards. He rolled down his window and struggled to hear.

"Keep an eye out, men." The officer said. "Nobody goes in or out without being fully searched. We have an intruder on the property, and we don't yet know why he is here. All we know is that he took Specialist Gage's weapon and locked Gage in a janitor's closet, so he is to be considered armed and dangerous."

Who was he talking about? Wagner? Monk?

"Enough of this." Stottlemeyer said as he pulled his car over to the side. "We've got to get inside of that facility."

He parked the car and he and Briggs walked up to the guard shack flashing their badges.

"Captain Leland Stottlemeyer, San Francisco PD." Leland announced. "I couldn't help but overhear that you're having some trouble here."

The officer looked at Stottlemeyer's credentials and said "Nothing for you to worry about, Captain."

"It's everything for me to worry about, officer, when you're talking about intruders brandishing weapons and putting lives in danger. I can go get a warrant if you like, but wouldn't it just be better if you cooperated and let me know what's going on?" he replied.

"Fine. But, let's walk and talk. We've got an intruder to find." The man said.

As they walked, the man filled Leland in with the latest information. "Man somehow gets in here…we're thinking on one of the trucks and is sneaking around some crates against the wall in the hangar. One of our guards, Christopher Gage, spots the guy and pulls his gun on him. Perp raises his hands as if he is going to surrender but then swings around and clocks Gage in the jaw, pulls him into the janitor's closet, gets his weapon and his uniform, and locks him inside."

"Do you have a description?" Leland asked.

"Yeah. Older man somewhere in his 50s. Dark curly hair, somewhere around 5'10"."

"Monk." Stottlemeyer announced.

"Excuse me sir?" the officer asked.

Leland paused for a moment trying to think about what his friend's next move would be like in a situation like this and then looked up at the officer. "Adrian Monk. He's one of the finest detectives that I've ever known and a good man. He's currently investigating the kidnapping of his former assistant and friend Natalie Albright."

"I heard about that case on the news. That's the one with the grocery store bombing." The man replied.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't a bombing. It was some sort of incendiary device and forensics has indicated that it was set off with rocket fuel. "

"Rocket fuel? That's weird. How? Why?" the man asked.

"Officer…uh…"

"Baker." The man replied.

"Okay, Officer Baker, have you seen this man hanging around here anywhere?" Leland asked, holding up a photo of Steve Wagner.

"Wagner? Yeah. I've seen him around a bit. I think he has been doing some technical consulting on the rocket launch that is supposed to take place in about three hours."

"Have you seen him around here recently? We suspect that he may have had something to do with Albright's kidnapping and that he is dangerous." Stottlemeyer continued.

"Yeah, he was here this morning talking with the governor." Baker answered.

"And where was that?" asked Leland.

"Over there. That office. Governor is still in there I believe." Baker replied.

"Thank you, Officer Baker. Now, if you would, have your men stay on the lookout for Wagner. He's your dangerous one. Not Monk. If they find Monk, don't shoot. Just bring him to me."

"Alright." said Baker. "I'll spread the word."

Stottlemeyer walked over to the office door and walked in. The office was far more plush than he expected from the outside. Clearly, it was the office of the higher ups within the company. Sitting in a chair barely big enough for his robust frame was Governor Greenway, his wife was seated next to him sleeping as they waited for the launch. A national news program blared on the large screen TV which sat before them, informing its audience of world news but also counting down to the big launch later that morning.

This was not just any ordinary launch. Rather, Altman's top secret mission was to deliver a military satellite monitoring system to the surface of the moon. This had been kept under wraps, but in the last 24 hours, Governor Greenway's press secretary had let the news know that there was something big about to happen that they would not want to miss.

Greenway hadn't slept a wink. This was his open door to greatness, he thought. The last thing he needed was a thug like Wagner stepping in his way and embroiling him in scandal. Kidnapping? Are you kidding me? He was considering his options of how to deal with Wagner and appear the hero in front of the press by finding the girl when Stottlemeyer walked in.

"Governor Greenway." Leland interrupted.

"Captain? What are you doing here?" said Greenway, nervously looking for Leland's sidekick.

"Monk's not with me." Leland explained "if that's what you're worried about. I've come here looking for Steve Wagner. I understand that you had some words with him earlier today."

Greenway's eyes shifted as he thought through what he might say next. "Uh, yeah…Wagner was here."

"So he was working for you?" said Leland.

Greenway knew there was no way of getting around it so he confirmed Stottlemeyer's information.

"He was consulting. Wagner is one of the brightest minds in aeronautics and his talents were desperately needed on this space program."

"He's also a convicted murderer. A murderer whom you pardoned."

"He is. He is that."

"Well, now we believe he has resorted to kidnapping, and not just any kidnapping. Due to the military nature of what is going on here, this very well involve several Federal felonies. If it turns out that Wagner is involved in Mrs. Albright's disappearance, he ain't ever getting out of jail again, and anyone assisting him will find themselves with the same view for a very long time. Now, what do you know?"


	13. Chapter 13

Natalie's heart raced within her chest as she ran as fast as her feet could carry her. She could not get Adrian off of her mind. "He's resourceful and smart. He will be okay." She told herself. But soon, the losses of her past flooded her thoughts with despair. She knew too well that life was not always fair and happy endings were often elusive.

She shook her head and tried to redirect her thoughts but it was no use. Her mind recalled Wagner's words, "you don't exactly have the best of luck with men." Then her mind flashed back to Adrian's bleeding arm and weary face as he told her to go. He asked her to go for Julie's sake ; but, why not his? Did he not expect to be around? The more she pondered this the more overwhelmed with fear and despair she became. Sobbing, she reached the stairwell that Adrian had pointed her to, but instead of running up the stairs towards safety, she collapsed at the foot of the stairs in agony. "Adrian... Adrian..." she sobbed. "Please, God." she prayed "let him be alright."

Wagner and Grayson nodded their heads at one another and parted ways after carrying Monk's unconscious body to the dock, shoving it into a plastic container. Grayson had to make haste in preparation for his flight which was now just one hour away. Wagner, on the other hand, was just interested in eliminating any witnesses.

Greenway spilled his guts and told the Captain all about his ambitions of fame and fortune. He convinced Leland that he had no part in Natalie's disappearance and offered all of the resources he had to hunt down Wagner and to take him dead or alive.

Altman security sent out it's forces and scoured security footage to try to get a bead on Wagner and rescue Natalie and Monk.

"Sir, I've got something" said one security specialist to his officer.

Stottlemeyer walked to the screen and saw Wagner moving around in the basement with gun drawn.

"Where is this?" Leland asked.

"Its the basement sir." the specialist replied- "just underneath the front entrance."

"Well, let's not just sit here and gawk. Let's go!" Stottlemeyer shouted. " I want this guy surrounded! And be careful. He is armed and dangerous."

Natalie's crying would not abate. She felt physically ill. She couldn't lose Adrian too. She had to go back. "Two is stronger than one" she told herself. Adrian promised he would be okay. He couldn't have meant without her.

"Be Strong Natalie" the female voice said startling her.

Natalie looked around. "Who was that? Hello?"

"No matter what happens, you must be strong. You must be strong for Adrian. He needs you." the voice said, fading away.

Natalie looked around." who... who is that?" Silence. The voice was soothing and somewhat familiar. Great. Now she was hearing voices! Was she hallucinating? Where had she heard this voice before? ... The tapes. Mr. Monk's tapes of Trudy. It couldn't be! She really was cracking up. She needed to go.

Natalie pulled herself up on the stair railing and stopped to think. Should she go back? Is that what the voice meant? Throw caution to the wind and go rescue Adrian? Yes. That must be it. She turned back towards where she had come from and began to walk. She had gone no more than 18 paces when out from the shadows came Steve Wagner brandishing his weapon.

"Well, well, Mrs. Albright... surprise meeting you here." he mocked.

Natalie turned to run.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Wagner warned as he chambered a round.

"Why don't you come with me?" he smirked.

Natalie's eyes dropped as she reached for the gun Adrian had given her.

"I wouldn't do that either! Let me see your hands. Slowly turn around. What's the matter Natalie? Are you disturbed about something." Wagner teased.

"How dare you! Where is Adrian?" she responded.

"Let's just say that he is a quiet place where he won't be disturbed." Wagner said with a sinister grin. "Now get over here."

"Freeze!" yelled Stottlemeyer who appeared with Briggs at the top of the stairs. When Wagner turned around and started to run, 4 security officers met him with guns drawn and ready.

"Not so fast." said the chief officer.

"Drop your weapon! Now!", screamed Stottlemeyer. at which point Wagner, realizing he was out of options, dropped his pistol.

"Hands on your head" Leland yelled as he kept his service pistol trained on Wagner. Kicking Wagner's gun out of the way, he instructed Briggs to cuff him.

Leland turned to Natalie. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes." she said, surprising him that she was again able to speak. "But I'm worried about Adrian." her voice cracked.

"Where is he?" Leland asked.

"He was back there." she responded. "He handed me this and told me to go." She said showing them Adrian's pistol.

"There's nobody back there,sir. We just looked." a man in security uniform said.

"Alright Wagner. What have you done with Monk?" Leland growled.

Wagner smirked. "Well, I don't think that much has changed since you arrested me the first time Captain ... I believe I am owed my Miranda rights and invoke my right to remain silent. "

"Briggs! " Leland yelled in anger.

"Yes sir?" Briggs replied

"Take this trash upstairs for questioning. Let's spread out. We have to find Monk."

"Sir"an officer replied" I am sorry but I can't let you do that."

"You can and you will!" Leland said forcefully.

"No sir. I'm afraid that I can't- Orders of the DHS. Absolutely no personnel wandering about within 30 minutes of a rocket launch."

"This is life or death!" Leland yelled.

"I know sir. But we have very strict orders. I'm sorry. It will have to wait."


	14. Chapter 14

Back in the head office, Briggs roughly shoved Wagner in a chair and Leland got to within an inch of his face. "Tell us what you did with Detective Monk, or I'll..."

"You'll what Stottlemeyer? You'll hit me? I don't think you would risk your precious pension to leave a mark on me." Wagner said.

"Don't be so sure. Monk is my oldest friend. I would risk my career and even my life to help that man. And I would enjoy leaving a mark on you. But so help me, if you push me to it, I will make it worth my while or I won't do it at all. Now where is he?"

"Gentlemen" Greenway interrupted. "Please, keep it down. The Zenith is about the launch. History is being made."

The conversation halted as everyone gathered around the large screen television on the wall.

"It's a beautiful morning for this launch" said the announcer. "We've received word that Commander Grayson has received the all clear sign from the command center and he's revvvvving up his engines." He said as they posted Grayson's photograph on the air.

"GRAYSON! GRAYSON!" Natalie screamed. "That's him! That's him!"

"That's who?" Leland responded as the television anchor said "30 seconds 'til liftoff."

"That's him! He's the guy!" Natalie cried. "You've got to stop him! He's the man who kidnapped me! He's the man who shot Adrian."

"20 seconds."

Stottlemeyer turned to the chief officer and yelled "We've got to cancel this flight! Call command and have them cancel it!"

"But sir..."

"No, but sir! Do it!" Leland yelled.

"T-minus 10. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6..."

"Sir. "I'm afraid it's too late"

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1... We have LIFTOFF! The Altman Aeronautics Zenith One has just taken off on its quest for the moon!"

The room sat in still silence as the rocket burst forth from its platform and soared into the sky.

After 45 seconds had passed, Wagner began to laugh.

Stottlemeyer turned to him in anger. "What's so funny?" he said sharply.

"Well, Captain. You wanted to know where Mr. Monk was."

"And?" Leland replied.

Wagner grinned. "Well, I'll tell you. Right now, he's about 150 miles above earth's surface and climbing."

Stottlemeyer and Natalie's eyes grew wide. "What?!"

Wagner responded "Oh yes. I sorta knocked Mr. Monk out and put him in a storage container that was destined for the rocket's cargo bay."

"ADRIAN!" Natalie screamed, going into hysterics.

"Oh don't worry yourself too bad, Natalie." Wagner sneered. "He won't suffer long. Without a space suit in an unpressurized cabin, he'll last two, maybe three minutes tops. Of course, in the interim between now and death, the pain will be excruciating. His body will swell and it'll feel unbearable until the pressure sucks the oxygen right out of his body... By my count, he has about 30 seconds left."

"NOOOOO! ADRIAN!" Natalie sobbed.

Leland turned to the screen and watched in horror as the rocket carrying his oldest friend in the world rose through the clouds and slipped away from the bonds of earth.

"Three minutes. Time's up." Wagner sneered. "Goodbye Mr. Monk!"


	15. Chapter 15

The Feds began to swarm Altman and informed Stottlemeyer that this was now in their jurisdiction since it had become a galactic crime.

"Galactic crime? Was this a first?" Leland thought. Truth is, he was in no mood to continue the investigation at this point in time and if he were face to face with Wagner, he would personally make sure that he died a slow and torturous death.

He couldn't let himself go there. He had to think of Monk and how he would have wanted things.

He would have wanted Natalie taken care of, that's for sure. Since she had come into Monk's life, Leland saw a profound change in his friend unlike any other time except when he was with Trudy. Even then, it was different. Trudy understood him and he idolized her. She was his first love and up until Natalie his only love. But then along came Natalie. Beautiful, spunky, and smart. Nurturing but also not afraid to call him out when he was shoveling a pile of manure. Monk had never admitted it to Leland, nor, Leland was sure, had he admitted it to himself, but Natalie made him feel alive again and he loved her. She and Leland were Monk's best friends; but, if Leland had to wager a guess if it came to a contest between the two Leland would be looking for another friend. A beautiful symmetry of likeness and difference theirs had the making of a true romance - if only he could let go of his fear.

Natalie felt numb. She knew what had happened, but refused to accept it. She told herself that Adrian had escaped, that he would show up any moment. But by that evening, the realization that he was gone began to hit her hard.

Julie called in Dr. Bell who was seriously concerned for her mental welfare, though he noted the denial was normal. He prescribed a sedative in case she needed one, and asked Julie to call his office for daily appointments for the foreseeable future.

The Feds took Wagner straight to prison and made plans of apprehending Grayson as soon as he returned from orbit. The governor and Altman board of directors wanted to keep the story out of the press, but it was just too big. Any "attaboys" that the Governor hoped to get were eaten up with a need for damage control. Landing on the moon for the first time since the 70s would have been huge enough, but add to that a Federal kidnapping plot and the presumed murder of San Francisco's most famed detective and you have the makings for several days of 24 hour news cycle. Every channel was nothing but commentary and video footage, some of it live, of the lunar mission.

Adrian Monk opened his eyes. "Where am I?... Why is it so cramped in here?... Oh, my head is throbbing... And my arm... Oh no! Oh no! " he began to panic. "I can't feel my arm!...I can't feel... Oh, there it is. Whew!"

"Wagner. It was Wagner. Wagner and Grayson. They had Natalie. I thought I was about to take Grayson out but I felt something hard hit me in the head and then I can't remember anything else. Oh please, I hope she is okay!" he said to himself.

"Wow my head is pounding. Where am I? It feels hard, and rectangular. What is this? Oh crap! Am I...am I in a casket?! I am! It's a casket! I'm in a casket!"

Adrian began to hyperventilate as his claustrophobia kicked in.

"They...they've buried me alive! And they buried me... vertical! Why would they bury me vertical? Yet why am I so cramped up? What is going on here? What an unnatural feeling. This casket is not long enough! Fiends. They can't even bury me in a casket that fits my body?" Adrian tried to move in the tight container, but there was little room.

"Just great! They've buried alive in a vertical casket built for a dwarf! So this is how I die." he complained out loud.

Suddenly the whole room started shaking violently, more violently than Adrian could ever remember. The sound was deafening and sounded like one continuous peel of thunder from a lightning strike that was right upon him. "E-e-e-earthquakkkkkke?" Soon he felt the g-forces pressing his body into the bottom of his "casket". He could not resist it, even though he tried. Now he was really hyperventilating and his heart and breathing were rapid. "What's happening? HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY!"

As the blood began to pool in his lower extremities, Adrian Monk found sweet relief from this nightmarish scene by promptly passing out.

20 minutes after the Zenith exited the atmosphere and the crew began to move around, a knock came upon the command module door.

Commander Stevens and Grayson were still seated and were paying attention to conditions aboard the spaceship. Stevens unbuckled his safety belt and opened the door.

"Hey Commander Stevens. Commander Grayson, it looks like we have a problem..." said crewman Shizuku Naomi

"What's that? Everything seems to be running smoothly. Air pressure is good." Grayson replied.

"No, all the levels are fine. I just went into the space lab storage bay and opened one of the containers...We, uh, well, we seem to have a stowaway."


	16. Chapter 16

"You couldn't let well enough alone, could you Monk?" said Grayson as he sat in a chair next to Monk's cot in the makeshift infirmary in the Spacelab.

Monk struggled to focus his eyes and wasn't sure which hurt worse, his head or the blinding glare of the lights in the cabin. He felt strange, like he was tied down. He looked at his chest and he was tied down with some sort of harness to a fold-out cot.

"Wh...where am I?" Monk asked, squinting to see Grayson. He felt dizzy.

"You're in the skylab of the Zenith spacecraft on your way to deliver some equipment to the moon."

"I'm what?!" Adrian tried to sit up...

"You're on the Zenith..." Grayson responded.

Monk protested..."I...I...I'm afraid of heights...We need to land."

"I'm afraid that is impossible. Besides, I'm not sure why you are afraid. Up here, it's zero gravity..." Grayson unlatched a belt on his chair did a somersault in the air and floated above Monk's cot.

"Uh, nice trick. D...Did I mention I'm not big on zero gravity either?" Monk raised his shoulder towards his ear and turned his neck.

"No. You didn't." Grayson grinned. "We'd better get you used to it. You're going to be in it for awhile. My associate, Rachel Dawson, has bandaged your arm and looked after your head." He whispered "If you tell anyone onboard how you got that way, trust me, there will be consequences that you will find quite unpleasant." he said, brandishing a small knife that he hid in the sleeve of his jumpsuit. Then, returning to a normal speaking voice he finished "Here - take this jumpsuit. It's what we call a launch and reentry suit. It's designed to protect you should we have any issues while traveling through earth's atmosphere. Given that you haven't trained like the rest of us, it might be a good idea you wear it for a while so you can feel more comfortable. Also, anyone aboard this vessel must work. Put this on and go through the tunnel by the airlock and meet me in the main vessel in 10 minutes. I'll have a list of your chores ready."

Was this all a crazy dream? Monk pinched himself. "Ouch!" Nope. No dream. He unbuckled his safety harness and suddenly floated towards the ceiling. "Whooaaaah...w'w'wwwwant to come down, come down, come down..." Monk said out loud. He lightly rammed into the ceiling and took his arms and pushed himself back down. Soon, he learned to navigate weightlessness pretty well. It wasn't all that bad actually. But, he much preferred his feet on solid ground.

"You say you heard Trudy?" Dr. Bell asked Natalie while sitting in a leather chair in the living room of her apartment.

"Yes. When I was in the basement. She spoke to me." Natalie replied.

"And what did she say?" he asked.

"She said to stay strong. She said that Adrian needs me. Doctor, why would she say that if Adrian were about to die?" Natalie asked.

"I really don't know, Natalie. Perhaps she didn't know he was going to die. How did she make you feel?" he asked.

Natalie thought for a moment and responded "At peace. Confused. Like I had a mission to protect Adrian." she began to cry "I tried. I tried, Dr. Bell. I tried to go to him. Oh, that I had never left him."

"But he asked you to go." Bell responded.

"He was just being nice." she replied.

"No, he was just being a man trying to take care of his woman. You know he loved you don't you?"

"Yes. Well, Adrian loved several people. Leland, Julie, Randy..."

"No, that's not what I'm talking about. I am saying he really LOVED you. He was in love with you, even if he wasn't willing to admit it to himself. He told you to go because that is what a man in love would do. He put you ahead of himself, and wild horses ...or Natalie Albright...couldn't have stopped him from getting you to safety. Don't blame yourself. It was his choice, not yours. You tried. But they were mainly after him, so he let them have him rather than sacrificing the woman he loved." he said.

"Adrian didn't deserve this." Natalie replied. "It, it's my curse. Wagner called me the 'black widow' as he was being hauled away. He said my kiss is the kiss of death. Adrian first met me when I had killed a man. My whole life with him has been working together chasing death. No man can be close to me without dying. I'm cursed."

"Natalie, that's just nonsense. Listen dear. It is clear to me that Adrian loved you and you love him back. I saw how very good you were for him in the years you worked together. Before you, he was nearly incapable of performing some of the most basic tasks. You inspired him to do more and he did. You were his very best friend in life. When you married Albright, that wasn't Adrian giving his blessing. That was Adrian wanting to see the woman he loved happy and being too insecure to think there could ever be anything between you."

"Why are you telling me this Dr. Bell?" Natalie asked.

"Because, I think it is important for you to understand what the reality of the situation was. You didn't get yourself kidnapped. Bad people kidnapped you. You didn't leave him behind of your own volition. He told you to go. He put himself in this situation because of his love for you. And that's a kind of love that survives, Natalie. It transcends death. The best tribute you can give to Adrian Monk is to live. Live life to the fullest. Don't spend your days in a prison of guilt like he did so many years. He would tell you that solves nothing."

"I'm not ready, Dr. I mean, what if he's not dead?" Natalie asked.

Dr. Bell looked at her seriously and then smiled gently. "If he's not, it will be the best news I've ever heard. I hope you're right."


	17. Chapter 17

Monk's list of jobs mainly involved keeping the spaceship clean and gathering supplies for the crew when it came time to eat or even have a snack. They taught him how to move about on the ship and entirely skirted around the issue of the bump on the back of his head and the wound on his arm. The official story they told the crew was that Monk had had some sort of episode that caused him to wander around in the basement, probably scraping his arm on something and that he had crawled into the container. They said he would check with a doctor when they returned to earth.

Everyone was skeptical of the story, especially Rachel who had dressed the wound. But nobody openly questioned. They had a short time to do a big job and didn't need conflict on the vessel. As long as their visitor didn't cause any trouble, they would deal with details when they returned.

Monk proved quite useful on board, and sometimes they would actually let him help with some of the more technical work they were doing. They were amazed at his photographic memory and his attention to detail.

In one case, one of the crew members was trying to assemble some sort of electric control box that would communicate with the unit that they were to install on the moon. The crewman had already wasted 30 minutes trying to make it turn on when Monk stopped by and in 15 seconds pointed out that there were two parts out of place. The Crewman switched the parts and the unit turned on without a hitch.

"What exactly is it that we are delivering here?" he asked the crewman out of curiosity.

"It's a sort of galactic defense system. It monitors incoming threats both in space and on earth." Naomi explained.

"Like Ronald Reagan's Star Wars venture?" Monk asked.

"Yeah, sorta. But not so Hollywood. Commander Grayson owns the patent on the machine itself and is in fact its inventor." Specialist Naomi answered.

"We're very proud of him." said Rachel purred.

Monk looked over at Grayson who was reading papers and had paused and looked up when Naomi mentioned his name.

"How exactly does this thing work, Commander?" Monk asked.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Monk. I'm too busy to explain it right now. Naomi, will you give Monk a high-level summary?"

Monk took notice that Grayson looked a little nervous at this questioning.

"Well, in layman's terms, we're delivering a special monitoring tool that will help the U.S. government determine everything from if one of our enemies is planning to launch a missile on us, is conducting unexpected military exercises or otherwise acting suspicious. It also will scan up to 500,000 miles out for space debris or asteroids that might be a threat to the planet or some of our more expensive satellites. They are thinking that if something unexpected floats along that is a threat, they can just shoot it out of the sky." Naomi explained.

"Fascinating" said Monk. "Fascinating."

The burden of planning Monk's memorial service would not fall on Natalie alone this time. She had taken that weight on several years earlier when everyone thought that Captain Stottlemeyer had shot and killed Monk in a confrontation on the pier. But everyone realized that even though she was surprisingly stoic, Natalie was too fragile to go through this exercise again. Instead, Stottlemeyer called in two of Monk's dearest friends, Captain Randy and Sharona Disher from New Jersey to plan the occasion.

Leland himself was busy taking statements and examining evidence. They knew the who - Wagner and Grayson were the culprits. He believed the governor was simply a victim of his own ambition - too blind to realize what he was doing. What Leland didn't know was the why. In spite of Federal charges that could carry the death penalty if convicted, Wagner wasn't talking.

Julie was staying close to home and between her and Sharona, Natalie was being well cared for. On Tuesday afternoon, they took Natalie to a dress shop to purchase something for the service because her already slender frame was nearly skeletal from loss of weight during her ordeal. In spite of the turmoil, She was surprisingly strong.

"Denial" said Sharona sadly. " It's a coping mechanism and will get her through the next few days. But, we have to be prepared for when we get Adrian's body..." she paused and began to cry "because when denial meets reality, she is likely to fall apart.

Sharona's life with Randy was more then she expected, in fact, compared to life with her manipulative ex, it was a dream. And while she didn't miss her old life and loved life with Randy and the baby, she did miss Adrian Monk. It seemed impossible that he was gone.

The spacecraft reached its position near the moon's surface early Wednesday morning. The flight had gone smoothly and in spite of the fact that he truly was in outer space, Monk was able to mostly push aside all anxiety and enjoy the ride. He was astounded at the view of the earth's surface, and when not providing some menial service for the crew he would sit and look out the window at the expansive blue marble and try to figure out what part of the would he was looking at. It was amazing and yet very humbling. There was no way all of this happened by chance.

Grayson instructed the crew to take their seats in preparation for descent. Monk buckled himself into a side chair as the vessel slowly edged to the surface of the moon. Grayson was in constant contact with Mission control.

"T- minus 10 seconds'til touchdown  
10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

TOUCHDOWN!

The Eagle has landed Again. America is back, baby!" said Grayson through his microphone.

As people everywhere celebrated and cheered , Police headquarters was more subdued. Stottlemeyer and Randy had been catching up and had stopped long enough to watch the landing. But, the whole thing was bittersweet. On the one hand they had great pride as Americans. On the other, they knew what dark secrets were held within that vessel. Little did they know the trouble that was going on that very moment aboard the Zenith.

The Zenith had taken rather hard landing to the point that some electronic equipment was jostled loose and fell on one of the crew. The equipment was okay but the crew member was not.

"Higgins. You okay man?" asked Naomi.

"No. I don't think so. It's my arm. I think it's broken." was his reply.

Rachel confirmed the diagnoses. It was clearly broken.

"Alright then." said Grayson. "Guess we need to shift to Plan B. We needed Higgins to help carry and secure the equipment. He obviously is not able to do that now. I need the rest of you at your stations monitoring things, so I guess that leaves us but one option."

They all watched the commander with anticipation as he said. "Rachel, Naomi, I need you to help Mr. Monk to suit up. He will fill in for Higgins. Bryson, you suit up as well and you and Monk come meet me and Stevens up front in fifteen minutes."

"W-What?" Monk asked with fear.

"Suit up Monk" Grayson replied. "You're about to enter that rare and elite group of individuals - the few to have ever stepped foot on the moon."


	18. Chapter 18

Rachel and Naomi led Monk back into the service module of the craft and opened up a closet which contained a large white space suit. It was just like the ones seen on the news and would protect Adrian from both the harsh radioactivity of the Sun as well as provide oxygen and the pressurized environment that he needed to survive. On the back of the suit there were small mini rockets that would provide enough thrust to propel an astronaut back to safety if he or she ever got into trouble. The moon wasn't entirely without a gravitational pull so he wouldn't need to use those at all, but they explained to him what they were in case he needed them.

He felt like the _Stay Puft_ Marshmallow man in the monstrosity of a suit which, without a helmet on, made his head look like a raisin in comparison to its girth. They did not attach the helmet at first because Grayson would take some time before they exited the craft to plot out each person's job. They would then descend from out of the craft via a special portal which helped maintain pressure onboard the vessel for those who were staying aboard. Gone were the days where the crew was split up into various modules and only a few actually landed on the moon. The entire spaceship, minus the rocket boosters which it shed along the way, was sitting on the surface of the moon which made undocking the galactic monitor and its thermal regulators from the payload dock easy.

Grayson explained how they would go through the back of the Zenith into the Skylab and take the Airlock into the payload dock. They carried on their persons a belt of tools that would release the monitor from its holders and help them navigate it into place. The thermal regulators were there simply to provide some insulation for their equipment due to the harsh conditions on surface. Temperatures could swing very wildly, and the regulators would help things to stay closer to a constant which would help the life of the monitor.

Grayson also gave Monk some basic instructions for how one actually walks on the moon. Due to gravity, it would feel different. He demonstrated inside the vessel a sort of bunny hop that astronauts since Neil Armstrong had been using to make their way around.

With all instructions out of the way, the team made their way to the skylab, dawned their helmets and activated their suits, opened the airlock and slipped into the unpressurized payload dock where their precious cargo sat attached to the walls.

Natalie, Sharona and Julie stopped by the police station after they finished shopping. Little Ophelia had been a perfect angel on the trip but was now getting tired and hungry and needed attending. They entered the station and immediately noticed that the news was still covering the Lunar mission. They had a top astronaut Hal Nordstrom on with the usual commentators and he was giving them a play by play of what was to come.

The ladies walked over to Captain Stottlemeyer's office which hadn't changed a bit in 15 years. He was in there talking with Randy, who upon seeing Sharona and Ophelia jumped up and gave them both a kiss.

Natalie figured she would finish giving her statement so that he could pass the information on to the Feds and at least that part would be behind her. Realizing what she was there for, Randy decided to give them some space so that she could speak in peace. He went out into the main station while Sharona went to the restroom to change the baby. He'd always been a space buff, so after a few short words with Briggs, he went over and stood by a couple of other officers who were watching the coverage.

"How are you doing, my friend?" Stottlemeyer asked Natalie.

"Missing Adrian." she responded with a long pause. "It's been good to see Sharona and Randy."

"It sure is. You want to talk about a match I never would have predicted..."

"Would you have predicted me with Mr. Monk?" she asked.

Leland thought for a second. "Maybe. In a lot of ways you were like Trudy was to him. Nurturing, and yet realizing he's a man. Sharona was good for forcing him to do things he didn't necessarily want to or wouldn't have done. Kinda like a bossy big sister with his welfare in mind. You could do some of the same, but your approach to him was completely different. You seemed to 'get' him, which I think made him feel both nervous and comforted. So, would I have imagined you and Monk together? Maybe, maybe not. Do I think you would have been good together? Absolutely. You were very good together."

Natalie stared into space imagining what her life might have been life. Still, she didn't feel him dead. Maybe his spirit was right there with her like Trudy had been with him. He knew she would have a horrible time with this. Maybe he was next to her now. She closed her eyes to imagine him there.

"CAPTAIN!" Randy Disher yelled, "COME HERE! QUICK!"

Leland jumped up from his chair and ran into the room and Natalie followed.

"What? What is it? Do you have something?" Leland asked.

"Shshshhhhhh... Watch this...listen to this..." Randy said as he grabbed the remote and turned it up.

"This is certainly unusual. Two of our astronauts appear to be arguing." said the announcer.

"They sure do. It looks like one of them doesn't like the placement of the regulators and is trying to move them around. It appears he wants them in a straight line"

Turning to Hal, the announcer asked, "What is the significance of placement for the thermal regulators, Hal?"

"Uh, well...there isn't any. I mean, normally, we will place them in more or less a random manner and they work well enough like that."

Stottlemeyer folded his arms, squinted his eyes and began playing with his moustache as the rest of the group sat with eyes wide open.

A third astronaut, whom they identified as Commander Grayson, came over to the first astronaut and poked him in the chest telling him to step back. As he moved out of the way, Grayson instructed the other astronaut to prepare the module and turn it on. The first man folded his arms and watched. Once the module was up and going, Grayson turned to the first astronaut and motioned for him to come back aboard. The man stood there for a second and then slowly walked around the side of the Galactic monitor for a moment with his heavily gloved hands held like a picture frame that he was looking through.

Sharona broke the silence in the policeroom. "Nahhhhhh...it can't be..." Everyone else's mouths opened slightly as everyone in the room gathered around the set.

The man looked at Grayson, then looked at the module, looked back at Grayson and then began shaking his head yes.

"What's he doing now?" one of the announcers asked.

"I have no earthly idea." Hal responded.

Grayson hopped over to the first astronaut and grabbed him by the arm. They hopped two or three paces, when the first astronaut broke away, hopped over to the American flag that they planted immediately upon landing , touched its pole with one finger, and then hopped back over to the craft and went inside.

At the police station everyone's eyes was as big as saucers.

"It's him!" Natalie said, her eyes brimming and overflowing with tears and a broad smile upon her face. "It's him! It's Adrian!"

"Monk?! We'll I'll be a Son of a Gun!" said Stottlemeyer.

Suddenly the entire room broke out into cheers and tears like a hometown crowd after their team had won the Superbowl. Screaming at each other in excitement they whooped and hollered and the longtime friends jumped up and down screaming and laughing "he's alive! he's alive!" Randy grabbed Sharona and gave her a kiss and then turned around and gave the Captain a kiss too. The Captain leaned back a bit but laughed it off. Stottlemeyer threw one arm around Natalie and the other around Disher, pulled them both near his face and kissed them both on the head as they cried tears of joy.

It was unmistakably clear. Adrian Monk was alive and he couldn't recall anything in his life that felt better.


	19. Chapter 19

"What. Was. That?!" Grayson said barely suppressing the anger and embarassment he felt inside.

"What was what?" asked Monk oblivious to why he was angry.

"That! That spectacle you performed! Rearranging the thermal regulators? Bouncing around from pole to pole." Grayson said with growing anger in his voice.

"The regulators were crooked." Adrian replied.

"So?!" Grayson responded. "I told you to stop!"

"You'll thank me for it later." Monk responded.

"THANK YOU? THANK YOU?" Grayson's volume continued to grow. "You made me look like a fool in front of 500 million viewers. A FOOL! THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT IN MY CAREER!"

Monk was silent as Grayson drew close, grabbed him by the chest of his space suit and looked him in the eye. Grayson lowered his volume and with steely voice and fire in his eys said coldly "I should have killed you when I had the chance! Go back to the space lab. I don't want to see you any more tonight."

Grayson went towards the command module while Monk went back to the Space Lab. After they departed, the laboratory curtains parted and a wide eyed Rachel Dawson poked her head out from the stall. She had heard the entire exchange. Her Commander (and secret boyfriend) had just threatened a man's life. What did he mean "when he had the chance?" Did Monk and Grayson know each other? Was that how Adrian got the gash in his arm that was clearly made from a bullet and not from running into something? She had never heard Grayson talk that way. Who was this person? He sounded so evil and mean. She felt sick to her stomach. What could she do?

Monk went back towards the space lab and stopped at the window outside the lab to look at the remarkable view outside. He thought he would see stars outside, but from his vantage point it looked pitch black except for the earth. He chuckled as a looked at it, because here he was on the Moon - a billion in one experience - and all he could think of was this one bright shining star who had stolen his heart.

"What a beautiful blue world. Just like your eyes...Oh Natalie, your graceful walk, your disarming smile...it's all I can think about. Here I am, Adrian Monk, a pathetic 'muss' afraid of his own shadow, and fear seems as far away from me as that blue globe before me because, you've captivated me. Sleep peacefully...my love. I'll soon be home." Adrian kissed his hand and then touched the glass before turning in for a deep peaceful rest.

Almost 250,000 miles away, Natalie sat in a chair by the window and stared at the moon. She couldn't sleep. She was excited. Adrian was alive and well and that had brought her the first feeling of utter joy she had felt in months. She loved Steve, to be sure, and his loss about killed her. But being back with Adrian reminded her of what all they had. With Steve, it was the commonality they had with Mitch and a strong physical attraction. Her relationship with Mr. Monk was different though. He was infuriating and frustrating, a man/boy who was terrified of life and yet braver than anyone she had ever known. They say the best relationships start as friendships. Could it end up that Adrian Monk, the very best friend that she had in the world, could one day be hers? "Adrian, wherever you are tonight... I'm thanking God that He kept you safe, and I can't wait until you're home with me again. Sleep tight." She kissed her hand and touched the window at the place where the moon shined through as she retired to her bed and the best night's sleep she had experienced in months.

Adrian woke up to the sound of the vessel's systems being booted up. In the distance he heard voices and rustling around. His crewmates were up. He was sitting up in bed and had just begun to dawn his orange jumpsuit when Bryson grabbed an envelope of "space food" and brought it back to him.

"Here, eat this. You'll need your energy. Today, we plan to blast off of this desolate and dreary place and start heading back towards home."

"Thank you for the food, and for letting me know." Adrian responded and ducked his head a little. He was sure everyone thought he was a big screw up so planned to stay as quiet and out of the way as possible today.

"Hey, Monk. I just wanted to tell you that given that you haven't trained in this stuff for years like the rest of us, you did an amazing job yesterday." Bryson said.

"Really? Thank you." he responded.

"Yeah, don't let Grayson bother you. That guy doesn't know half of what he thinks he does - but I didn't say that." he smiled.

"I heard nothing." Adrian smiled back.

"Oh, and for the record. I like the regulators the way you arranged them. If we're going to go some place uninhabited by man, we might as well leave it tidy." he said, his voice trailing away.

Monk opened the envelop and found a juice box, a couple of granola bars, and a piece of jerky - not that he could taste it. The gravity had done something to his sense of taste. But he was thankful for the provisions just the same.

Rachel Dawson was quiet that morning. The sick feeling in her stomach had not gone away. She couldn't help but believe that they were in the midst of a very dangerous man and that she needed to say or do something to stop him. She made up her mind that once they were on their trajectory towards earth again, she would confide in Commander Stevens. If Grayson was who he appeared to be, he did not need to be leading this mission.

Monk finished up his breakfast, freshened up in the laboratory (making liberal use of every type of wipe they had) and went back to the space lab. The spaceship had begun its ascent and was quickly moving back towards the world they called home. Most of the crewmen were either relaxing or going through all of the checks one more time so that they could take a break. Rachel was in the command module with Stevens, alone. She relayed everything that she heard Grayson say to Monk and spoke of the bad feeling she had if Grayson were to remain in control of the vessel. Stevens called in Naomi who was his second in command and told him about what Rachel had run into. All three caught the concern. Stevens said he would talk to Grayson.

Monk went back into the spacelab to find a bottle of water that he had left strapped into the nightstand, when all of the sudden Grayson entered the room.

"Monk! Listen. I'm sorry about yesterday. I'm afraid I overreacted. You were doing the best you could, and I ... well, I was a jerk. Forgiven?"

Monk just looked at him. "Don't mention it."

"Hey" Grayson continued. "I believe that we left some brackets unsecured inside the payload bay yesterday, and thought before we reenter earth's orbit that maybe we should re-secure them. If they get loose, they could really cause some damage and perhaps be dangerous."

"What are you saying?" Monk asked.

Grayson turned and opened up a closet and pulled out a white spacesuit for Monk to put on.

"What I'm saying is that I want you to go with me through the airlock over there and help me to secure the brackets."

Monk knew it was a trap and said "Well, I think maybe once in space is enough..."

Grayson pulled the knife from his sleeve.."Monk, I'm not asking. Put on the suit."

-  
Stevens looked throughout the control and service modules and asked Higgins if he had seen Grayson.

"I think he's in the shower." Higgins replied.

"Okay. Well, would you send him up to the command module when he gets out?" Stevens responded.

"Sure thing, Commander."

Monk put on the spacesuit and Grayson did the same. Fastening their helmets, he told Monk to move forward to the airlock and to open the lock.

Monk protested that he thought he'd rather not and Grayson pushed the knife so hard against Monk's back that he could feel the sharp hardness of its blade. "Don't think I won't use this." Grayson replied.

"It's the monitor.." Monk said, walking towards the door. "I know you didn't invent it; yet, you've been taking credit for it all this time."

"Walk!" said Grayson, getting more and more angry. Monk stopped at the airlock and Grayson ordered him to open it. "Get in." He said forcefully.

-  
Stevens walked back into the service module and was greeted by Higgins. "Commander, I'm sorry. I was just on my way up to tell you that I was wrong. It was Bryson in the shower, not Grayson. I think Grayson is back with Monk."

Stevens turned his head and locked eyes with Rachel. Both darted down the hallway and reached the door of the Skylab. The door was locked. While Stevens looked for a heavy object to burst through, Monk entered the Payload bay followed by Grayson.

"What I can't figure out is why you tied up with a scum like Wagner, that is ...unless..." Monk said.

"Shut up!" said Grayson. "I've had enough of your mouth!" Suddenly Grayson gave Monk a hard push. Monk went tumbling onto the floor of the payload bay. He quickly recovered and began floating up from the bottom, trying hard to reach the side so he could hold on to something solid.

Grayson suddenly pushed a button and the bottom of the vessel began to open.

Monk was sucked forcefully out of the spaceship into space. His suit held to the vessel by a canvas umbilical that was designed for the safety of astronauts on space walks.

"You should have let it be, Monk! I warned you."

Monk reached for the rockets on the back of his suit, but to no avail.

Monk grabbed on to the umbilical with one hand and swung the second hand over and began to climb.

Stevens grabbed a fire extinguisher and burst through the door into the Skylab.

Rachel pointed at the open airlock and said "They're over there!"

Grayson wrapped his legs around the post as the open space before them pulled harder and harder. He pulled out his knife and grabbed Monk's umbilical and began to cut.

Monk's umbilical had floated far enough to the left that in enabled him to reach and grab a metal step from a ladder that was welded into the side of the vessel. This in turn protected him so that when Grayson had cut through the cord entirely he did not fly out into space. Instead, he held on for dear life with his legs and left arm to the ladder, and with his right arm grabbed the umbilical and tied himself to the ladder.

Grayson dropped his knife as he tried to balance himself at the airlock door.

Just as he was retrieving the knife a voice from the airlock yelled "GRAYSON!"

Grayson swung up with his knife in hand and with the force of the swing cut a large slice out of his own umbilical.

"This is none of your business, Stevens."

"What the..." Stevens said as he spotted Monk. He turned to shut the payload bay doors and stop the suction.

Grayson grabbed him and tried to pull the unsuited Stevens inside the chamber, however, his hands slipped and Grayson flew out towards the opening of the payload bay door.

As the force of the vacuum pulled harder and harder on the umbilical, the slice he had made began to tear.

Grayson's eyes grew wide as he saw the canvas giving way.

"Shut the doors!" He screamed. By now he was in full panic mode trying to grab the undamaged section of the chord. "Shut the doors!"

Stevens reached the button. He could hear Grayson's screams. He had just made contact with the button and heard Grayson yell "Shut...the..."

Silence.

He turned around to see Mr. Monk looking out the payload bay doors out into space- a severed umbilical blowing in the wind in front of him.

Sam Grayson was no more.


	20. Chapter 20

A crowd filled with American flags roared as the first mission to reach the moon in over 40 years had returned home. The general populace had not yet heard about Commander Grayson though the Mission Control Center and Governor Greenway were frantically trying to come up with the best way to do damage control.

The small reentry vehicle had splashed down in the Pacific Ocean in the early morning hours and after examination by doctors, all on board were deemed to be in excellent health.

As guests of the Governor, Captain Leland Stottlemeyer, Randy and Sherona Disher, Julie Teeger and Natalie Albright had special seats along with the families of the crew members and would be the first ones to see them when the doors were opened. There were several false starts...security personnel and others who were paving the way for the heroes return. Then, suddenly they appeared. Walking out, shoulder to shoulder was the entire crew in matching orange launch and rentry suits with Commander Stevens and an Astronaut named Monk front and center. Adrian was smiling and waving as the crowd cheered and waved their flags. When they reached an open space, security removed a barrier and allowed the family and friends of the crew members to come welcome them home.

Natalie ran as fast as her feet could fly. She outran her entire group. She was beaming and when Adrian spotted her his heart nearly sank to his stomach. About 5 feet from him she stopped, and without releasing her smile she pulled a wipe out of her purse and laughed. Then, she ran up to him and began planting little kisses all over his face and forehead followed up with the wipe. Monk pushed her back and pulled back her hand. Grabbing the wipe, he threw it on the ground and wrapping his arms around his woman, he pulled Natalie deep into his arms for a deep and passionate kiss on the lips. She threw her arms around his neck and melted in his embrace. As the two came up for air, they were surrounded by friends who couldn't be happier for their happiness and were just so glad to have him home.

Back in San Francisco, Adrian sat in the Squad room in his trademark brown jacket but with a buttoned down shirt. He explained.

"Here's what happened..."

"Governor Greenway had aspirations to run for President and knew that the U.S. space program was a way to get national recognition. He took advantage of his wife's association with Altman and began to study the maturity of their technological development programs. Realizing that they wouldn't be where they needed to be for several years, and not getting any younger, Greenway reached out to Steve Wagner who, even though he was a murderer, had just the kind of brilliant technical mind he needed for his program. Pardoning him was a small price to pay, though how he justified releasing a murderer really says a lot about Greenway as a person. What he didn't count on is that Wagner had been building up resentment - no, seething hatred towards me throughout his years in prison and would stop at nothing for revenge. Wagner decided to get to me by getting to Natalie. And, it worked. He recruited his old colleague, Sam Grayson and blackmailed Grayson into kidnapping Natalie. "

"What kind of dirt did he have on Grayson?" asked Sharona.

"He threatened to expose Grayson for the fraud and liar that he was. Grayson did not invent the monitor that we put on the lunar surface, even though he held the patent and took credit for it. Wagner did. If Grayson wouldn't play ball with Wagner, Wagner would see to it that Grayson was destroyed. Wagner recognized in Grayson a man with the same level of cockiness and ambition that he had and knew that together they just might pull it off. Thankfully, their plan failed."

"Thankfully so" said Leland. "It looks like the Feds have enough evidence on Wagner that he will never see the light of day again. At a minimum, he is looking at life - WITHOUT possibility of parole."

"It couldn't happen to a nicer person."said Natalie. As the cops began to return to their business.

"Hey" said Adrian to Natalie in a playful voice. "I know a nice person."

"You doooo?" Natalie said with puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah. I was wondering if maybe she would like to accompany me to dinner and a play tonight?" Adrian asked.

"Why Mr Adrian Monk! Are you asking me out on a date?" Natalie teased.

"Why, Ms Natalie...I believe I am." he responded with a smile, doing his best Rhett Butler.

Natalie leaned in and kissed him on the mouth..."then I accept."

"Most excellent news..." he said, as he held the door open for her, touching the door post with his finger on the way out. Quickly, he made his way to her side, kissed her on the cheek and began to will the butterflies away from his stomach as he walked with his girl, hand in hand under a moonlit sky


	21. EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE

Mr. Monk sat nervously in his plush leather chair fidgeting with his buttons as Natalie sat beside him holding his hand, attempting to divert his attention with small talk. They were seated with the crew of the Zenith and their spouses in the guest section of a C-32 typically referred to as "Air Force Two" on a flight to Washington D.C. for a special ceremony with the President later that week. The first lady had greeted them and was flying back from an event in San Francisco held with the first ladies of Jordan and Israel in which she had used her office to help raise awareness of of the plight of the Christian Refugees of Mosul, Iraq who had all but been wiped out by ISIS militants.

"What I want to know" said Natalie, "is how did you know where I was? I mean, how did you know that I was upstairs in that office?"

"That was simple. It was the only office in the building that had shades on the windows that blocked anyone from seeing what was inside." Adrian replied. "D-do you know how much I hate this?" he said, switching subjects."I mean, I don't do 'flight'"

"Adrian, you just got back from the moon! I would think flying at 40,000 feet would be a whole lot easier now that you've traveled 200,000 miles."

"You would think..." Adrian muttered.

Suddenly there was a scream coming from the front of the plane followed by the sound of Secret service running. Monk sat up straight and looked through the open doors of the plane to see if he could see what had happened. As he squinted his eyes, he could make out the figure of the first lady standing at the front of the plane. She was covered in blood and holding a knife.


End file.
